The Far Country
by serenity1347
Summary: AU Danny/Lindsay story set during the 1930s. Danny moves out to Montana after losing his job and is promised work on the ranch of a certain Mr Monroe. Sparks will fly when he meets his employer's only daughter.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Montana. Spring 1934

'_This feels wrong'_, Danny thought as he shifted slightly from one foot to the other and adjusted the old pair of jeans he was wearing. He was not used to this type of clothing,

'_Hell,'_ he thought,_ 'I'm not used to this type of life'!_

He began to walk down the long muddy track that lay ahead of him and towards the large wooden ranch he could see in the distance. The train from New York had gotten in a bit early and he had been fortunate to hitch a lift to the outskirts of town quite quickly so he had a bit of time before he was expected. He took the opportunity to have a look around.

The Monroe Ranch was a sizable estate snuggled in the valley between two mountains in the background. It was very picturesque and exactly how he imagined Montana to look.

'_I shouldn't really grumble'_ he ruminated, _'at least I have a job'. _

Danny arrived at the front door and hesitated only for a moment before knocking. The door was opened by a slim, mature looking woman, with vaguely familiar features, who greeted him with a warm smile,

"You must be Daniel Messer", she exclaimed with a smile.

"Yes Ma'am", replied Danny lifting his grey cap.

"Well I'm Anna Monroe. Come on in. I've been waiting for you. Oh, sorry I can't shake your hand." Her hands were covered in Flour to the elbows, and she turned and led him into the house.

Danny followed closely behind, through a dark hallway and into a warm and inviting country kitchen. Mrs Monroe returned to kneading the bread she had half done on the long wooden table and told him to pull up a chair and chat to her whilst they waited for her husband and the other hands to come home for lunch.

"Journey okay?" she started whilst pummelling the loaf.

"Yes, thank you ma'am" he replied nervously, "I've never been this far out West before though. I really appreciate the Job offer".

"You have any experience on a farm?" she gave him a once over. He was not particularly tall or well built unlike most of the field hands they employed.

"Ah…Not really. But I'm a real fast learner and always had a knack with fixing things", he added. " Used to help my Pa haul coal as well so I ain't afraid of hard work".

"Well that good then. We should be able to start you this afternoon with any luck." She paused as they both heard chatting voices and the scrunch of boots on the gravel outside. "Here they come in now" she added and began to set the table for lunch.

The group entered from outside kicking mud from their boots, and sitting down for their long awaited meal. The oldest man among them approached Danny who stood quickly to meet his new employer.

"Fergus Monroe" he said holding out a hand which Danny readily shook. "Glad you made it, we're really struggling with a man down out here".

"I really appreciate the work Mr Monroe. Mac sends his love to you all from New York," Danny added.

"Oh how is he, that brother of mine?" Mrs Monroe asked, "We haven't heard much from him and Stella since the baby was born."

"He's well", Danny answered taking the seat indicated to him and helping himself to lunch as the others were, "they both are, and little Lucy. But the depression has hit the company quite hard they had to lay a lot of people off."

"Is that how you ended up all the way out here?" one of the other men around the table asked. He was around Danny's age although much sturdier in build. He looked like he had been doing hard labour his whole life.

"Yeah", said Danny wearily. "Mac couldn't afford to continue to train me at the moment, and when Mrs Monroe here was telling her brother about you losing one of your hands in that accident, Mac recommended me for the job until work picks up back in the city. Mac's a really good guy. Always looking out for me like a father."

They chatted for the rest of lunch, with Danny being introduced to all the men around the table including the one who had asked him about getting the job who it turned out was Mr and Mrs Monroe's son Jeremy.

"And where has that girl gotten to", Anna Monroe huffed as they finished up their meal. "Always away with her head up in the clouds that one, or down in a book".

"I sent her to the dairy to check on the cows," Mr Monroe cut her off. "She shouldn't be too long. Right lets get going", he said turning to the men and they all sluggishly got up and headed out of the door with Danny joining them this time.

As he walked with the other men towards the fields Danny turned and for a moment caught sight of the back of a young woman heading from the barn toward the house and disappearing through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer (because I forgot last time): I do not own CSI: NY because if I did I would not have busted my gut to pay for graduate school.Thank you to all my lovely reviewers. I am glad people seem to like it and I am definitely continuing with this story, unfortunately I only have bits and pieces of it written at the moment. I know what is going to happen though and this story was bugging me so much I just had to write it to get it out of my head.

That said any suggestions or comments on the plot would be seriously considered. I'm flexible and totally willing to chuck out my ideas if someone comes up with a better one-just write it in a review.

I study History so I have a fairly good grounding in the events of the time but I have never been to Montana and most of my knowledge comes from several viewings of _Legends of the Fall _so sorry if I get stuff wrong (we can just blame wikipedia).

Further Disclaimer: I also do not own the title; I stole it from a Nevile Shute book about Australia. Have you read it? It's really good; he's one of my favourite writers.

Chapter 2

It was late evening when the men returned to the house from the fields, and although he would never admit it, Danny's back was hurting more than he ever thought was possible. He was determined to stick with this though as he needed a job.

They took their places once again around the well-scrubbed kitchen table and Danny was glad for the relief he felt once he sat down. He closed his eyes with the other occupants of the table to listen to Mr Monroe say grace. As he listened to the old man's strong baritone voice he heard door opening gently and anther person creeping into the room. Mr Monroe paused in his oration and cleared his throat. There the sound of scraping chairs and then he resumed his speech, although with a distinct tone of disapproval in his voice.

"Amen", they all chorused, and Danny opened his eyes to meet the newest occupant at the dinner table.

"Lindsay", Mr Monroe said, still with a hint of disapproval in his voice, "Have you just finished?"

"Sorry Pa, the calf was having a few problems, he seems alright now though", she explained, and her father seemed satisfied with this answer, giving her a small hint of a smile and a nod.

"You haven't met Daniel yet", he said gesturing towards Danny.

"Its nice to meet you" Lindsay said. They both rose from their seats a little so they could reach to shake hands. She was not tall he realised once they were on their feet, in fact she was positively petite, unlike the men in her family. She was good looking though with wavy brown hair that had the barest hint of auburn and a slim but curvy figure. It was her eyes though that left Danny momentarily speechless. Their chocolate brown depths were warm and inviting.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Monroe", he replied formally, earning him a snigger from some of the other men around the table. He ignored it silently cursing himself for making a fool out of himself.

"Don't mind Simon and Ian", Lindsay said, motioning towards the men, "you can't expect them to have any manners if no girls will go within twenty miles of them".

"Lindsay!" Mrs Monroe scolded, she looked like she wanted to say more but realised that it would only make the situation worse. Instead she settled on something else that she had noticed.

"Lord girl, what have you done to that dress!?" she exclaimed, and all eyes suddenly turned to look at what Lindsay was wearing. Sure enough the knee-length denim dress she was wearing was smeared with mud and hay.

"Yeah, one of the fouls got away from me", she said looking sheepish, "I can go and change if you want?"

"No, no, no", Anna Monroe sighed looking resigned, "this meal has been delayed enough as it is. Lets get started. Dig in everyone."

Danny took his cue to begin eating. He chanced another look at Lindsay and she caught his eye. They gave each other a slight grin before focusing on their meal.

It was later that evening when Danny saw Lindsay again. She had been upstairs and changed her dress whilst most of the men went outside and had a smoke. Danny did not smoke though, Cigarettes had been a luxury he could never really afford growing up, and besides, Mac disliked the habit and out of respect for his old mentor and employer he had simply never taken it up.

Mrs Monroe had charged Lindsay with showing Danny where the men's dormitory was and so they set off from the house into the darkness towards buildings surrounding the barn that were separate from the main house.

"So, you're from New York?" Lindsay asked to break the ice as they headed across the yard guided by the light in her hand.

"Yeah, well, I live in Staten Island." There was a pause and then and he adjusted the pack he was carrying on his back. He was a bit peeved about earlier. He didn't need a girl fighting his battles if he was ever going to earn any respect around here. "You know you didn't have to do that, back there. I can stand up for myself". It came out in a harsher tone than he had meant.

"I know", she stated looking a little put out, "I was only trying to help." Then she mumbled almost inaudibly, "Jeez, I won't even bother next time". She picked up the pace and Danny had to run for a few paces before catching up with her.

"All I meant was, it was just a little ribbing between men. If they have a problem with me, its probably best if I deal with it."

"Fine", she said yanking the door open to a long wooden hut, which contained only one of the older workers lying down smoking a cigarette. She looked him in the eye with a clenched jaw and a glare in her eyes. "Here's the Dormitory, your bed is in the corner, breakfast is at five, have a good night". And with that she turned on her heel and stalked back across the yard to the house as quickly as she had left. Danny stood there with a cringe on his face, realising he may have put his foot in it a bit. He should go to bed though, there was nothing he could do tonight and it had been a long day. Slowly turning and lugging his pack into the room, he located his empty bed in the corner and started work on unpacking his belongings before falling exhausted into bed and immediately falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story (and if you are just reading, please review). I know nothing about horses so if I get anything wrong please tell me and I will attempt to rectify it.**

**As usual, I do not own any of it.**

Chapter 3

The next few days turned out to be a steep learning curve for Danny. He knew he had gotten this job over much more qualified men and that it had been due to Mac's influence so he had to prove to Mr Monroe and the other labourers that he deserved to be there and was pulling his weight.

And it hurt.

He was used to long hours, God knows Mac had expected his team in New York to be prepared to stay at the office until the job was done and come in early if they were needed. This job though made him ache in muscles he didn't even know he had. He kept his mouth shut though and dug in deeper to the work.

This job was different to what he was used to in another sense as well though. The sheer mindlessness and monotony of the work meant that he did not really have to think about what he was doing, merely carry out repetitive actions. He found he had time to think about his life.

Waking up on his second morning in Montana, he found he regretted what he had said to Lindsay to night before. There seemed to be no opportunity to talk to her that day though, he suspected she might be avoiding him. He didn't want to try to apologise to her in the field in front of everyone else, that would _really_ help his reputation amongst the other men, and anyway there seemed to be some sort of ill will between Lindsay and the labourers in her father's crew. Danny could not work out why this was though. She did not seem to do anything that was annoying; she kept her head down and worked as hard, if not harder, than the biggest man in the team, Frank. Actually Frank seemed quite fond of her. He was an African-American man in his late 40s who, Danny had learnt on his first day, had migrated north a few years ago with his children. He was a very cheerful man, built like a bear, who had gladly taken Danny under his wing on his first day and shown him the ropes.

"You just follow what I do and if you have any questions just ask me. I don't mind at all". He had said.

"Thanks, I really appreciate you helping me. I don't know much about farming".

"Times like these, man has to get any work he can to support himself." He grinned at Danny showing a row of big white teeth.

During the morning break when Mrs Monroe brought out Lemonade for them all to drink, Lindsay and Frank often chatted about someone called Rosie and how she was doing at school.

The other men though seemed to continue to have some sort of problem with her.

It was Saturday before Danny managed to get her on her own.

"Lindsay!" he called across the yard as he saw her disappear through the door into the barn. The sun was just going down and they had a few minutes before dinner so he followed her inside and found her in the stall of a beautiful grey horse. As he approached he heard her speaking softly to the animal and he paused to listen behind the wooden boards separating the stalls. She was softly crooning, telling the horse how beautiful it was, telling it all about her day. He stepped out from behind the fence and saw her gently brushing him down with hay, her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"Hi", he said softly, not wanting to startle her. She opened here eyes and turned towards his voice, but the smile did not leave her face. She didn't say anything, seeming to expect him to say something more. He cleared his throat and looked down at his feet, shuffling them a little.

"Look, I just wanted to say sorry", he said looking at her again. This was not easy for him but he had felt bad about it all week, and worse when he saw how the other men seemed to reject her from their jokes and camaraderie. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for trying to help when I first got here".

"It's ok", she said softly, still smiling, but turning back to the horse and continuing on with brushing it.

"Do you, ah, need any help?" Danny asked gesturing to the horse, trying to find some way to make up for his attitude before.

"Sure", she said handing him a clump of straw from the floor and beckoning him over to stand next to him. "Long strokes along the body", she explained. "It soothes the horse".

They worked together in silence for a few minutes before Danny spoke again.

"He's a beautiful animal", he commented, "what his name?"

"_She_", Lindsay said pointedly, "is called Violet. I named her myself."

"Violet like the flower?" he asked. She didn't seem like the sort of girl who was into flowers.

"Violet like Violetta: the heroine from La Traviata". She stated, her expression challenging him to make fun of her. Danny held up his hands in mock surrender before going back to brushing down the horse.

"She's yours?" he asked.

"Yeah. My grandmother used to be in charge of the stables, but she died a few years ago. My father doesn't really want to keep the stables running now we're mostly mechanised but I persuaded him to keep the few horses we have left. Do you ride?"

"No, never tried". He chuckled, "Not much chance when you live in the city. Maybe you could show me some time?"

"I'd like that" she answered grinning.

They went back to grooming the horse in silence but were soon interrupted by a call for dinner.

**Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

This is the longest chapter I have written yet for this story and I have been building to it for a while so pleeeeeeeeeeease tell me what you think.

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Chapter 4

Sunday promised to be a welcome rest for most of the men on the ranch. Although there were still duties to perform, these were mainly done by the family, as the Monroes were strict about not working on the Lord's Day.

Mrs Monroe rapped on the door of the men's dormitory promptly at 7.30 am. Danny rolled over and groaned. '_For a Sunday this is not much of a lie in!'_ he though as he snoozed in bed and listened to the other men begin preparing for their day.

"Hey Danny", Ian, one of the other labourers called, "you getting up or what?"

"Yeah Danny, Mrs Monroe don't like it if you're late for church and you ain't gonna make it for nine if you don't get your butt outta bed soon". That was Simon, a scruffy redheaded kid about Danny's age.

Danny groaned. '_Those two again!' _He had been on the Monreos' ranch less than a week and he had already had enough of Ian and Simon. They thought they were the resident bad boys of the place, not tied down, always talking about the girls they had been with or the misdemeanours they had committed. Sure Danny liked girls and having fun, but he was growing tired of that life and of being around people like these two. Losing his job, although he knew Mac had not wanted to do it, had been a harsh wake-up call for him. He had always taken his work seriously, but he didn't want so much instability in his life again. Living life one day to the next with no certain future had a lot less appeal when you were forced into it.

"What denomination?" Danny asked the room in general from the depth of his covers.

Frank took pity on him, "It's Baptist, I'm sure the reverend would understand if you follow another branch though. He won't turn you away."

Danny grimaced. To be honest he wasn't really one for church and anyway he was Italian, they were Catholics. But he forced himself out of bed anyway. He thought he should show some willingness to follow the family's rules, even if he was planning on snoozing through the entire service.

The church service, which was held in the nearby town, finished promptly at 10.30 and it was with some relief that the mass of people exited the small room that had been fast becoming stifling. Danny exited alongside Frank, loosening his tie as he walked, and took a breath of fresh mountain air. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, lifting his face up to the warm sun.

"Makes you feel cleansed, don't it", commented Frank, misconstruing Danny's relief for piety. He smiled back though, not wanting to seem disingenuous.

"You got any plans for the rest of the day?" he asked back.

"Told Rosie I would take her to the Sunday school in town, Mr Monroe's letting me borrow the truck. You're welcome to come if you want", he offered.

"Naw, that's ok," he answered beginning to walk towards the road again and leaving Frank behind, "think I'll stick around here for the day. Thanks anyway though!"

Mrs Monroe always made a special late breakfast on Sundays for those who were still on the ranch and her pancakes and waffles were legendary in the area. Danny had to admit, they were good, and there was a more relaxed atmosphere at the big table when they were not all destined for a backbreaking work in the fields or exhausted from ten hours of labour.

There were not many people left that Sunday, as a local fun-fair in the nearby town had drawn most of the labourers away for the day to try their luck in strong-man competitions and coconut shies. The Monroes usually stayed on the farm though, as the basic care of the animals still needed doing despite it being a Sunday and the workers' day off.

It was after breakfast, and Danny had decided that he would go and explore the countryside around the ranch to get a feel of the place where he was now to live.

He sauntered across the yard in front of the barn, and almost ran into Lindsay as she exited the barn,

"Whoa", he let out as he narrowly missed getting hit by the door being quickly flung open.

"Oh God, sorry did I get you?" she gasped covering her mouth with her hand.

"Not quite", he joked; "what are you up to?"

"Just finished feeding the cows", she gestured behind her, "you didn't want to go to the fair?"

"Thought I would just take a walk, you know, get to know the place a bit". He suddenly had an idea, "do you want to come with me, show me the lay of the land a bit?"

Lindsay bit her lip and glanced behind her as if she was on a knife-edge deciding whether to come. Danny decided to push a bit more,

"Come on, please?" He said. How could she resist those baby-blues? She smiled and placed her bucket on the ground near the barn door then nodded her head gesturing with her hand towards a small trail that led out of the farmyard and towards the wooded base of the mountains in the distance.

They walked for a while in silence. Danny had hung up his jacket and tie after breakfast and the cool spring air felt good on his still aching muscles. He looked sideways at Lindsay; the soft breeze was playing with her hair, lifting the curls and making her repeatedly brush them out of her face. The style of her dress was different to those he was used to seeing in New York, a little longer and less fitted, but it flattered her well and together with its light blue colour presented a very appealing picture.

"You know, your uncle has mentioned you a few times," he said to break the ice. "He thinks very highly of you. I know he wishes he could come and visit more often."

"Yeah, I wish he could too", she answered. "He loves it in the city though, I know he was never very keen on staying in Montana. He has talked about you too, in his letters."

"Mac's been like a father to me. I'm so lucky that he took me under his wing when I was a boy. I would probably be dead in the gutter now if it wasn't for him."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"My Father died when I was really young, and so my Mother packed up our house in Italy and booked three places on a ship that was going to America. I don't know how she did it, she didn't speak any English and she had two young boys by the hand and the few possessions she couldn't bear to leave behind."

"One of them was you?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah, the younger one. I don't have many memories of living in Italy. I grew up mostly on Staten Island." Danny stopped walking. Their gentle stroll had taken them quite far from the ranch and they were headed towards a rocky outcrop on the edge of the woods that covered the mountains. He perched on one of the flat rocks and Lindsay took a seat next to him.

"I didn't know you had a brother", she started again. Danny looked uncomfortably at his hands as they fiddled in his lap before looking up and staring straight into her curious eyes.

"He died", Danny explained softly. "His name was Louie. He was a couple of years older than me, and he was always in some sort of trouble". Danny smiled sadly, reminiscing over the past. "I remember this one time, he can't have been more than twelve, he loved baseball and whenever the neighbourhood kids would play in the street he would insist that they play with his lucky ball. He even had his name written on it. Anyway he hit the ball and it smashed straight through the side window of Mr Peroni's bakery. He decided to go in after it and had one of his friends give him a leg up and managed to jimmy the window open and slip through. The window was about six feet above the ground and he fell through straight into a huge sack of flour on the other side where Mr Peroni was waiting with his lucky ball in his hand. I swear I never laughed so much as seeing Mr Peroni march Louie home by the ear covered head to toe in flour. He looked like a ghost."

Lindsay was laughing as well by this point and Danny couldn't help but notice how it made her eyes even brighter and the playful dimples she got in her cheeks.

He sobered quickly though and Lindsay caught the sad look on his face return.

"How did he die", she asked softly.

"I was ten" Danny started looking out into the distance with a haunted look in his eyes, "Louie was fifteen by this point and his escapades weren't so innocent anymore. He got mixed up with a bad crowd and they would drink too much and fool around. They were drunk one night and messing around at the docks when he fell in and hit his head. There was nothing anyone could do. It broke my mother's heart."

"I'm sorry", she said, laying a hand on his arm and giving it a light squeeze. The unexpected contact startled him out of his memories and he looked at her again with a genuine smile, one that she mirrored. "So how did you meet my uncle?"

"My ma started was working as his housekeeper shortly after Louie died and I used to go and hang around the house after school. He didn't have the offices back then as he was just starting up and he used to work from home. He would give me pocket money to run errands and do simple jobs for him; my mother liked it as it kept me out of mischief. I would ask questions about what he was doing and how the things he built worked and he started to teach me what he knew about engineering."

"So are you an engineer as well now?" She asked

"Naw, not yet." He said in his Staten Island Drawl, "I became the office boy when I left school and then apprentice Engineer. Mac's been teaching me what he can whilst I take night classes at the University. I'm twenty-four now but I still have a lot to learn. Hopefully when I go back someday", he paused looking resolved, "when I go back I will get my job back and qualify".

"You miss it, don't you." It was not a question

"I miss my mother, and my old job, and the city. Have you ever been to New York?"

"No." she looked wistful, "I've never even left the state. My mum's not keen on it, she says I have no reason to go anywhere, she doesn't really understand why I would want to."

"But you do want to, I mean, I get the sense that you don't see yourself living in Montana for the rest of your life", he gently questioned her.

She looked up at him as she thought about what he had said.

"I love my mum", she said slowly, "but she doesn't understand that I don't want her life. I want to see some of the world, and experience it."

"Where would you go?"

"Europe, I would love to see the ancient ruins in Greece and the beautiful view from the Amalfi Coast. I've only read about these places in books though. I want to see the rest of this country too. New York, San Francisco, The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia".

"Well I have never been to any of those places either, except New York of course".

"My Uncle Mac said I was welcome to visit him in New York, but I never have, he sends me books and journals to read though".

"Which reminds me he gave me something to give to you, told me not to do it in from of your mother though so I haven't had a chance yet. Do you want to come and get it now, it's in the men's dormitory with my other stuff?"

"Sure" she replied, smiling brightly. He got up off their rock and held out a hand to help her up. As he grabbed it he couldn't help noticing that they weren't like any woman's hands he had held before; they were strong and calloused like his, hands that knew hard work and her grip was surprisingly strong for her size. '_I like it_', he suddenly thought, and then quickly let go once she was vertical. He shouldn't be having those thoughts about his boss' daughter.

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Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone, I'm really sorry this has taken so long to update, my real life has been hectic recently but updates should not be so long again. I hope you enjoy this, it ends differently to how I intended but I am happier with it this way. As I said in an earlier post I have bits of later in the story already written the problem I am having is connecting the two ends where they get to know each other. Any suggestions would be appreciated and your reviews are always helpful to let me know If I am doing this in vain or if people are really enjoying it.**

**Anyway, as usual it's not mine I don't own anyone**

Chapter 5

At dinner that night there was the usual Sunday evening feeling. The weekend was over and they all had to return to work the next morning after their day off having fun. The meal was a quiet affair, with little talking for the most part. Mr Monroe had begun to outline to them what needed done in the fields this week until a stern challenging look from his wife stalled him. Danny had to hide his smile, he recognised that exact look: he had seen it on Lindsay the other day. It was when Mrs Monroe asked the table generally what they thought of the service that morning that the trouble started.

"And Danny, we haven't heard about your congregation back in New York. Have you undertaken much missionary work in you community?" The question from Mrs Monroe made Danny uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Uh, not really, I have a very busy job, and that really keeps me on my toes. I coach little league in the summer though". He hoped this would deflect the conversation away from his church attendance, or lack of it.

It did not work though. Mrs Monroe persevered.

"You didn't seem familiar with the hymns we were singing, surely they can't be so different from the ones in New York?"

Danny resigned himself to having this conversation.

"No, Ma'am", he said, "just I was taught them in Latin that's all, and I'm not usually one for attending church much, not since my Ma stopped making me go be an alter boy at St. Theresa's."

There was a long pause.

"You're Catholic", she stated. It was not a question; Anna Monroe was a clever woman in her own way and knew what he meant. The statement was accompanied by a stony silence and she pursed her lips into a thin line. Danny was not fazed by the reaction his statement received. This was a common enough reaction when people found out. In many places, like being Jewish, being a Catholic could be quite stigmatising. People associated them with poor immigrants, rough gangs and families with too many mouths to feed.

"Yes I am", he stated, continuing with his meal. "There's no problem with that is there?" It was a subtle challenge that he knew no one would take.

"Of course not", stated Mr Monroe, trying to diffuse the situation and not looking his at his wife who was glaring into her plate. "Now, lets get this dessert shall we?"

After dinner Mr Monroe retired to his chair and most of the men congregated around the radio, which was airing a football game. They leaned forward in their seats and silently smoked as they listened intently in the dim light to a commentator thousands of miles away as they pictured the men running across the field.

Danny had lingered in the back of the room for a while, shifting from foot to foot, still a bit awkward and not feeling like he fitted in, until he gave up on the game and snuck out of the back door during the cover of a particularly raucous round of cheering and hooting as the favoured team scored a touchdown. As silently as possible he shut the door and took a seat on the porch steps. This side of the house had an unrestricted view of the fields and mountains between which the ranch was nestled; the big red barns being on the other side of the house. In the rapidly dimming light Danny slowly watched as the constellations appeared as if by magic in the sky.

There was a roar of laughter from inside the house, closely followed by the sound of the door opening again and he could not help a smile forming on his face as he twisted his body around to see Lindsay gently closing the door as he had just done and creeping over to where he sat.

"Whom are you hiding from", he asked in a mock-whisper, his smile turning into a cheeky grin as she gave him a very dirty look. She couldn't hold it though and a faint smile broke through as she took a seat next to Danny and let out loud puff of air.

"I'm not…really", she answered with a quick darting look behind her, "I just don't think my parents would like me being out here and my mum has a list of things as long as her arm she wants me to do."

Danny felt sorry for her. She looked trapped in this place, constricted by her well-meaning family.

"You don't like football?" he asked gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder into the house.

"It's OK. I don't really follow it like the rest of the family. Why aren't you in there?"

"Nah, football's not really my thing," he shrugged. "Baseball however, then we're talking."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah," he answered. "It was always a dream as a kid to go pro. But I decided I didn't want the life that it entailed. Plus I wrecked my hand when I was in school." He glanced down at his hand and trailed a finger across one of the scars that was, although faded, a prominent reminder of that day in the schoolyard. Lindsay took his hand and mimicked his action, finding the line on his palm. He continued, "I'm still a huge fan though – New York Yankees, and I coach a little".

"Oh yeah," she said, "You mentioned you coached Little League at dinner".

He smiled at her again although this time it was tighter and appeared forced.

"Yeah it was interesting dinner conversation". He added. She looked at him with sympathy as he absently started to kick some of the stones on the floor gently. "Who really cares these days what denomination you are, right?"

She nodded slowly although Danny couldn't tell if she really agreed or whether through her silence she was merely trying to appease him.

"Oh, never mind" he said testily as he moved and tried to get up from his perch.

A hand on his arm stopped him though. He looked back down at her as she raised he eyebrows at him.

He let out a puff of air and reluctantly sat back down again; heaviness was apparent in his stature. He was weary and tired. Looking at him Lindsay could see that this new life was taking a toll on him. Not just his body, but his mind and soul.

"Sorry", he muttered almost inaudibly.

She let out a sigh.

"Please stop jumping down my throat at the least provocation, Danny", she said her eyes flicking between his bowed head and his clenched hands in his lap. "I can tell you have had trouble because of this in the past. My Uncle Mac, you know he sends me books," Danny nodded with a slight smile as he remembered the man fondly, "well I read one of the articles about a man called Mahatma Ghandi in India", she continued. "He said that 'all religions are different paths to the same enlightenment', or something like that", she screwed up her nose trying to remember exactly but shook he head slightly as she gave up.

Lindsay gently cupped Danny's cheek with her hand and lifted his chin so she could look in his eyes.

"I think it's important that people believe something to give their lives meaning, and really, why should it matter if those beliefs differ slightly if the intention to be a good person is the same?"

"Thank you", Danny whispered softly, his voice breaking and his Adam's apple jumping. The hand on his cheek was so warm and her thumb gently stroked across the faint stubble. His eyes bored into hers and she met his gaze with every bit of feeling as he was. His face was inches from her own and on impulse he leant in closer. He could smell her scent from this distance; it was a fresh, clean fragrance that reminded him of the pollen from the wildflowers in the meadow at the side of the house.

He leant a fraction closer, pausing to see if she was going to protest, but when she didn't he closed the gap between their lips, where they met with the lightest of a feather touch which lingered for only a moment.

Danny pulled his head back to find her eyes closed and a smile now softly gracing her lips where his own had lain only moments before.

A cheer from inside the house broke them from their reverie and they both whipped their heads around as if caught before they were calmed to see that no one was there. With the atmosphere broken they both looked at each other again with shaky laughs before going back inside to rejoin the family as the game ended and everyone headed to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry to leave you hanging after that last chapter, real life got majorly in the way and trust me when I say that it was a lot more painful for me than it was for you. This one is not as long as it was going to be, but I couldn't finish tonight so I thought I would put up what I had and the rest will be here soon. As I mentioned earlier. The end of this story is written so I am definitely finishing it, it just might take a while.**

**I would appreciate your feed back to this, whether you love it, hate it or just think its a bit far fetched. I am attempting to make this historically accurate and so am bringing in issues and themes which would have been relevent for the times.**

Chapter 6

As far as Danny was concerned, the next few days were…awkward, to say the least. He did not get a chance to talk to Lindsay on Monday morning before breakfast as she was ensconced in the barn milking right up until the food was laid out and twice her mother had called her. Their eyes met over the breakfast table whilst they were both supposed to have their heads bowed saying Grace, however the moment their he caught her eye she looked away, reddening when she realised she had been caught staring at him and quickly averting her eyes and looking with interest at her blank plate.

As well as this, although they spent all day together working to weed and tend to the fields, he could never seem to get her alone. Either her brother or Frank always surrounded her. He couldn't sense any hostility from her, just embarrassment and awkwardness.

Finally, _finally, _on Friday night he had a chance to speak to her. They were not alone, but there was a popular comedy show on the radio and everyone was gathered in the living room of the main house to listen. When Danny had entered the room, still clutching the baseball they had been tossing around outside, he had spied a free space on the couch next to where Lindsay was sat with a book in her lap, her thumb holding her page as she chatted with her mother in the chair next to her. He quickly made a beeline for it and perched on the edge of the seat. She looked up and glanced at him as he sat, before smiling faintly and diverting her attention back to her mother.

"It's next week sweetheart, you must have forgotten", Anna Monroe said. She noticed Danny sit and nodded her head at him, acknowledging his presence.

"I must have", Lindsay answered, "it might be fun though, I could pick up some cloth in town tomorrow, now that the farm work is easing, we might even finish this one," she finished wryly. Mother and daughter seemed to share a private joke as they grinned at each other chuckling.

"Shhhhhhhhh, it starting", appealed Mr Monroe from across the room and their conversation ended abruptly as they all stopped to listen.

It was actually quite funny, Danny conceded as he chuckled along with the rest of the room, half listening to the radio and tossing the baseball between his hands. He had not expected much from a local comedy show if he was honest, however the more time he spent in Montana he was coming to appreciate things which he never thought

he would before. The slower pace of life was…refreshing, and he found a lot of satisfaction in the manual labour that he was doing, earning his living with his blood and sweat out in the fields. The change of scenery and the new outlook in life also meant that he was saving for the first time in his life and trying to think more about his future.

And then of course, there was the other thing. The thing sitting right next to him who was causing him to only be able to half listen to the radio and the warmth of whose leg he was so keenly aware of when it brushed lightly against his own.

He could not get that kiss out of his head.

He _needed_ to talk to her and he was going to do it tonight, or be damned.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She had opened her book back up and was leaning one bent elbow on the side of the settee with her hand idly twisting around a curl in her hair. He leant away from he slightly to see the title of the novel held in the other hand. _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ it read embossed in Gold along the spine. It was an impressive looking thing, blue leather bound and with thick creamy pages. Danny vaguely recognised it and quickly surmised it was from a collection that Mac owned, _And I'm betting that her parents don't know about the personal life of the Author_, he silently mused. If Mrs Monroe was not a fan of Catholics she would have a fit if she knew her daughter was reading a book by someone who was openly gay.

She shifted slightly in her seat and her thigh moved inexplicably closer to his. He tensed up immediately, _Yeah, we really need to talk_, he thought again.

When the show was over a buzz took over the room as people began talking again and getting up to stretch their legs. Mrs Monroe leaned away from the couch that held Danny and Lindsay and was chatting to her husband on the other side, and Danny seized his opportunity whilst everyone was talking to have a discrete conversation with his couch-mate.

"Wasn't bad was it," he said gesturing at the radio.

"Huh," she said looking up from her book, "oh, no…quite enjoyed it actually".

The conversation stalled. Danny continued to fiddle with the baseball in his hands, spinning it between his fingers. He took a deep breath before continuing quietly.

"I've been hoping to talk to you actually…about last weekend." He stopped to glance up at her and confirm she was still listening. She had gone slightly pink and rotated her head swiftly checking that no one was paying attention to their conversation. Satisfied that no one was listening, she turned her attention back to Danny.

"I'm sorry", Lindsay blurted out, "and I don't want you to think I go around kissing all the workers on the ranch."

Danny had not been expecting this. _She must regret it_. Of course she didn't feel like he did. She was his employer's daughter and he was just the unskilled labourer. All this week she must have been worried he would think she was some sort of easy girl.

"Naw, naw of course not" he answered, putting as much bravado and swagger into his Staten Island accent as he could. "Of course I know you don't. And I initiated it anyway. We can just forget it if you want." He tried his best to sound nonchalant and relieved that they had put it behind them. Lindsay looked at him for a moment, really stared into his eyes, before nodding, seemingly resigned and giving him a half-smile half-grimace.

"Friends then?"

"Definitely", he answered.

He madly searched for a less painful topic of discussion and landed on the book again.

"One of Mac's?" he asked gesturing to the volume with the ball still clutched in his hand.

"Yeah, I'm going to send it back tomorrow though. I promised I would as soon as I finished it and I only have a few pages left."

"You're going into town?" she nodded the affirmative and he had a sudden rush of inspiration. She might not like him romantically now but he could have a fair shot at convincing her with his natural charm, "mind if I catch a lift with you?"

"Of course", she looked pleased, "Jem and I are leaving at 8am". She rose from the couch then and bid the room a good night before disappearing out of the door.

_Damn_. His brilliant plan to spend more time with her was now going to be chaperoned by her brother. _Brilliant_.

He shook himself out of the slightly shell-shocked daze she had left him in when he caught Mrs Monroe giving him a concerned look. He decided now might be an opportune time to depart as well.

**Review here, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I would like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story since I began it: -**

**Prplerayne, TivaFanGirl1, TAsolo, afrozenheart412, Brichen86, JaydenBell, CSI-babe1, FoxPhile, Texansweetheart, Edward-and-bella-forever, Coffeemilkshake, Nerwen Aldrion, hickroo, lilybean123, carly-babes11, BlackRose86**

**And especially: - **

**prplerayne, for the offer of help. Its going ok at the moment but I may still take you up on it at some point if that's ok. **

**Brinchen86, for the encouragement and always reviewing really quickly and positively.**

**JaydenBell, for the really perceptive comments and noticing all the subtle period details I am trying to put in, please call me on it if you see anything out of place.**

**And finally, afrozenheart412, for scarily managing to predict exactly what's going to happen next. At least that means the narrative plot must be making some sense.**

**More disappointment for our favourite guy…don't worry it's all going to come to a head soon, I promise, I know, I've already written it. **

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Chapter 7

Danny approached the truck still bleary eyed at 7.55 the next morning and found Jem already waiting there in the driver's seat.

"No Lindsay yet?" he enquired, and then turned his head to peer at the front door of the main house.

"She'll be here," Jem answered wryly, then closed his eyes and tipped his head back, sunning his face in the warm June day. Despite being a Saturday they would usually have been working today, however, with the summer on its way there was less to do in the fields and it was up to nature to make sure the crops had enough sun and water to grow. They would be spending the next few months doing anything else that needed work on around the ranch, Mr Monroe had a list as long as his arm of fences to mend, roofs to fix and errands to run. As a consequence of this, their working week had been cut from six days to five, _but don't get too used to it_, Mr Monroe had warned Danny when he had told him this, _make the most of it now 'cos as soon as the harvest has to come in, it'll be six days a week, fourteen hours a day_.

It was just after eight when Lindsay strolled out of the house; Danny leant against the side of the truck and watched her saunter across the dusty surface of the driveway whilst Jem started the truck. Conceding the front seat to Lindsay he took his seat in the back of the pickup and settled in for what was going to be a bumpy forty-five minute trip to the nearest town.

Danny was being lulled to sleep by the rocking motion of the vehicle half an hour later when he was jolted awake by the pick-up coming to a sudden and sharp halt. Upon opening his eyes however he found that they were not in the bustling city of Bozeman as expected by still in the middle of nowhere.

"What's happened?" he enquired, sliding back the window between the cab and the back.

"I forgot the papers that need sending for the new tractor", Jem announced with a sigh, "I'm really sorry you two, we're gonna have to go back. They have to go out today."

"We're really close to town though," stated Lindsay, "its only another mile or so. I'll get out here and walk"

"I dunno, I don't feel right leaving you alone on the side of the road like that", Jem looked doubtful.

"I won't be alone…Danny will come with me, won't you Danny." She had turned on him, imploring him with her eyes, and he was not about to say no to her.

"Course".

And so it was with a cheeky grin that Danny found himself all alone, wandering along a dirt road in Montana, with a pretty girl on his arm and the rays of the sun on his back. The day was going to be a hot one, they could tell that from how warm it already was for nine in the morning. However, the slight breeze kept them comfortable, not to mention Danny was admiring the way it picked up her long hair making it dance, and wafted her subtle scent towards him. They meandered slowly through the long-grass just off the road, pausing every now and then when Lindsay bent to pick a flower she was absent-mindedly collecting into a little bouquet.

"Hey, I know that one", Danny exclaimed, examining the little pink flower she had just plucked from the ground.

"It's Bitterroot", she answered, "Montana's State flower".

"I think my Ma has some in her gardens back home", he said.

"The Indians used to eat them apparently", Lindsay went on, she scrunched up her nose, "I never know if that's true though."

"Lets find out what it tastes like then", and before she could stop him he had swallowed the little flower whole.

She stared at him, her mouth gaping, he broke into a grin and she began laughing, her mouth still agape.

"Not really that nice", he commented, "I wouldn't recommend them".

"Well no", she shot back, giggling a little now she had come to her senses, "since what I meant was they ate the roots".

He laughed, and took her arm, placing it carefully in the crook of his own. They carried on walking towards town, chatting and laughing. She asked him more about his mother and is home. He in return listened to her answer questions about what she hoped for the future and what it had been like growing up in such a rural place.

*******************************************************************

It was some hours later, when they had both separated to do their shopping and Lindsay had met up with Jem that Danny finally made his way towards the spot where they had agreed to meet when they were finished.

As he turned the corner he saw Jem on the porch of the carpenter's store and picked up his pace to see if he needed any help with the fencing order being loaded. After Danny had helped load up the timber Jem introduced him to the other man who was helping them.

"Nice to meet you", Danny responded as he shook hands with the other rancher. He gave him a cursory glance. This man, Robbie, it turned out had known the family since childhood; he was a local boy who now worked on the farm he was to inherit. He was shorter than Danny and had the stocky, built look of someone who had been doing farm work all his life.

"What about you Danny?" Jem asked, squinting slightly in the mid-day sun.

"Uh…sorry, what?" asked Danny as he tuned back into the conversation.

"There's a dance next week here in town, you coming?"

This was the first that Danny had heard of it, and he hesitated for a moment, thinking for a moment maybe he could ask Lindsay. His heart dropped at the next words though.

"You're still taking Lindsay then?" Jem asked Robbie.

"Of course", he answered, with an air of harshness "she promised after she cancelled on me at the last one".

Jem looked a little unconvinced, and quickly glanced at Danny,

"Still…you might want to check with her".

Robbie seemed to consider this for a moment, and looking confident that any girl would want to go out with him, headed inside.

Through the grubby window, Danny watched, his heart aching as Lindsay chatted with her old acquaintance. At one point he seemed to get a little bit close to her and she gently laid a hand on his chest. He took a slight step back. He could not hear their conversation; at one point her eyes flickered to the window, but Danny was not sure if she saw him there watching. She said something to him, and although the smile on her face did not quite reach her eyes, she nodded her head lightly and laughed with him.

He was an idiot. She was obviously spoken for; she had already had a partner to go with. And Danny didn't think he could manage a whole night of watching her in someone else's arms.

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**Please review. What do you like? What don't you? Can you see any mistakes 'cos I would rather you told me as they always drive me mad in fics.**

**Hello, is there anyone out there?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone, here we go with chapter eight and I hope you enjoy it. As usual I own nothing of these characters. I know it has been a long time since updating so for anyone who has forgotten:**

**Danny likes Lindsay, he's not sure if she likes him, they are both attending the dance but she is going with an old acquaintance called Robbie.**

**Please review if you have enjoyed it. I really appreciate the comments.**

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Chapter 8

_I'll go._

_Just to check she's ok._

_No - I'll stay home._

_I don't even like dancing._

_She might dance with me once. Just as friends._

_No, I'll stay._

Danny tossed his pillow over his head and rolled over for the millionth time that night. He really didn't want to torture himself by spending the next night watching Lindsay in the arms of another man. Then again, if he got just one dance, then he could put up with anything for the rest of the evening.

_I'll go. I've decided. It's worth the heartache._

_

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_

By the next morning Danny was firm in his decision. He would go the dance, although he didn't generally like them, in the hope that he could at least have one dance with Lindsay.

It didn't really matter that he didn't have a date. The dance was intended as something to bring your girl to and have fun (not too much fun though, it was run by the church committee after all!) However only a blind person would fail to notice the huge discrepancy between men and women in the area. There was a definite dearth of the female population in the county, especially of _young_ women. If the young girls didn't move to the cities for a more exciting life, they were snapped up to be married as soon as they became women.

_Possibly even before that _Danny had observed in church the week before. He had been introduced to Dr. Peterson's new wife; _she can't be more than fifteen!_ he thought. He had noticed it was not uncommon for a girl to have a child underfoot, another on her hip and a third in her belly by the time she was twenty. Wives were hard to come by, and the women had their pick of the crop usually marrying the sons of the local ranch owners, businessmen or traders.

Danny, and the others in his dorm however, made up the rest of the town: landless, unskilled labourers. They were not expected to turn up with a girl on their arm, but a chance was a chance, and they would not snub their noses at the little entertainment the town had to offer. On the whole, the men decided to go and try their luck.

With their work considerably lightened for the time being, Danny noticed Lindsay's continual absence for long periods of time over the week. He knew that her horse Ada had been hurt, having cut her leg whilst jumping a fence, but there was no way she could be in the barn all this time is there? With the endless summer days and little work to do he often ended up spending his free time walking in the countryside around the ranch. It was now nearly two months since he had moved to Montana, and although he would admit that his new home was stunningly beautiful, he could not help pining for New York. He was glad that he came though, he had a lot of time to himself and he was realised that a feeling he had gotten in New York was growing out here in the west – he wasn't a kid anymore, he didn't really enjoy the lewd jokes and mouthy pranks of some of the younger men in the dorm. He wanted more from his life.

* * *

The mystery of Lindsay's disappearances was solved on Wednesday, when Danny went to fetch some more twine from the main house. He rounded the corner into the kitchen and ran head on into her coming down the stairs.

"Oof", they both exclaimed as they sprang apart rubbing their temples where they had collided.

"I'm so sorry", Danny exclaimed as he instinctively caught her arm to steady her when she lost her footing.

"No, its my fault I wasn't looking", she laughed slightly and lifted her hand to brush his fringe away from his forehead, lightly brushing his skin and checking for a bump.

"No harm done", he whispered as he took the hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. They stared into each other's eyes and in that moment he wanted to bring said hand to his lips but stopped himself. _She's going to the Dance with Robbie_ he reminded himself_, for all you know she might be spoken for_.

"Lindsay! Have you put it on yet! We need to get the hem tacked."

It was Mrs Monroe calling from the kitchen and Danny suddenly looked down and realised what she was wearing. Her dress – well, it was nearly a dress – was a deep periwinkle blue and had a soft satiny sheen to it, reminding him once again that although the Monroes were essentially farmers they had a lot of land and workers, and therefore money, and she was way out of his league. It was an unadorned, but a very flattering cut on her. It hugged her curves along the V neckline and capped sleeves and flared out from the waist until it brushed just below here knees. Danny couldn't resist running his eyes down her body and imagining that his fingers could follow the same path. The hem needed finishing, an activity he had obvious interrupted them as they were about to start, and he could see her slender legs beneath and cute button toes which curled under his scrutiny.

"Danny", she said a little breathlessly. He quickly lifted his eyes to hers, a little embarrassed at being caught blatantly checking out her legs, "I need to get back" she continued gesturing towards the kitchen and her no doubt waiting mother.

Danny smiled and stepped aside, not seeing Lindsay smirk as she felt him staring at her backside She gave it a bit of extra swing as she sauntered away. Two can play at that game!

* * *

Saturday night finally came around with Danny both loathing and anticipating the idea of the event. Robbie had picked up Lindsay half an hour before and the men piled into Jem's truck for the trip into the town close by. It was a bit of a squeeze, but the dance was being held more locally, only five miles away, so they didn't have to be uncomfortable for too long. Danny was not surprised that Simon and Ian, his least favourite of his dorm mates were attending, they were always up for a good time and spent the ride boasting about their past exploits with women.

On the whole he was glad when they arrived. He headed straight inside, and found himself a drink and a corner to slouch in, prepared to wait out Lindsay's arrival.

He watched the other couples around the room. Some were swirling on the dance floor, swinging to the beat of the music, others sat at tables enjoying drinks and chatting. The atmosphere was more relaxed than usual but also controlled in a way he was not used to. The lights were brighter than they would have been at a dance in New York, creating fewer dark corners for couples to linger in and a more wholesome atmosphere. One thing was universal though: constant swirls of smoke that were issued from countless cigarettes were illuminated as they passed through the beams of light issuing from the lamps.

It was not long before he finally saw Lindsay arrive, his eyes immediately picking out the colour of her dress as she came through the door. She was smiling, he noticed, but looked a little uncomfortable on Robbie's arm. He watched them dance for a few songs, casually brushing off any other women who approached him trying to make conversation. He had always garnered a lot of female interest and was not really interested to be honest. _I've only come to see Lindsay_, he thought.

It was when he saw her standing alone that he decided to make a move to talk to her.

"Lindsay", he said, trying to catch her attention as he walked up. She turned to face him and a smile broke out on her face – a genuine smile that reached her eyes and made them shine.

"Hey Danny, you having fun?" she asked.

"Ahhh", he said, avoiding the question, "yeah… Iwaswonderingifyouwouldliketodancewithme." He said it fast, unsure of himself, and then cringed when he realised that he sounded like a fourteen-year-old boy asking his first crush.

Lindsay looked like she was suppressing the urge to laugh but then game him a beaming grin and simply said,

"I would love to Danny".

_Best._

_Dance._

_EVER._

Danny could not believe how good it felt to have her in his arms. And he was going to send a large cut of his wages to his Ma this week as thank you for forcing him to learn how to dance as a child.

_All young men should know how to dance Daniel, it's important!_ She had said this when he was reluctant to learn, now though he was so grateful that he was not stumbling and stepping on Lindsay's feet, but was confidant that he could hold and lead correctly. And boy did she feel good in his arms. Her dress was thin and he could feel how warm and soft her skin was underneath. The hand that was supposed to stay on her waist had drifted to her lower back where, whilst effectively pulling her closer, he gently caressed the small of her back.

They chatted animatedly whilst they moved. He asked her about how her horse was faring after its injury, she enquires if he had found any more interesting plants to sample in the surrounding countryside and they chuckled about the stupid things that they had eaten as little children. They were still laughing when another person appeared at their sides. Danny didn't really notice the man at first; the room was hot and crowded and they were having a good time together. It was as the man grabbed Lindsay by the arm that Danny realised it was Robbie coming to claim his partner.

"Mind if I cut in", he spat as he glared at Danny and elbowed him out of the way.

The whole episode took mere moments, however Danny stumbled under the force of the shove and it took him a minute to regain his balance. He turned back to the spot where he and Lindsay had been so happily wrapped in each other's arms mere moments beforehand, but it was now filling with other dancers oblivious to the confrontation that had just happened.

He craned his neck to find her, and catching sight of a flash of deep blue being forcefully lead out of the back door he quickly began pushing his way through the crowd to follow…

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Sorry for the Cliffhanger I know it is evil!

**Please review, thanks.**


	9. Chapter 9

I know I'm really sorry its been ages, I didn't mean to leave it on a cliff-hanger for so long. Here is chapter 9, I hope you all enjoy it. The good news is that we are now approaching stuff I wrote originally so updates should be faster.

I would like to say thank you to prplerayne who read this through for me and changed some of the grammer.  


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Chapter 9

_Shit._

Danny ran his hands through his hair, creating rivets through his already dishevelled locks and then clenching his fists. He began working his way through the crowds, following the gaps that had been created when Lindsay and Robbie had sped out earlier.

_He's her date. _

_Must not hit him. _

_She might like him._

His thoughts were all over the place. He had no rights over her, he knew that. Technically she was his date and although he had been acting kind of forceful and pushy there was not a lot he could do about it. And the sad truth of it was that it was not uncommon for men to hurt the ones they claimed to love.

Danny had vague memories of his father being less than nice to his Ma, but he always swore that when he grew up he would be a better man than his father, and he had seen first hand what a loving relationship should look like, with Mac and Stella. They had met through his mother, actually. Stella was also an immigrant, who lived on another street on the Island. She was a friend who helped out when he and Louie had been little. Mrs. Monroe had introduced them when Mac had been looking for someone who could help him run the new office for his business, and it had been love at first sight. Over the years, the feeling had never seemed to wane for them, but grow stronger.

He was almost at the door now, skirting around the final few dancers blocking his path. He paused on the threshold of the plain wooden door and peered out, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness after the well-lit hall. The moon was quite full now, it being almost midnight and he could hear shouts that the dance was winding down behind him. After a few moments he managed to make out the shapes of the buildings that surrounded the centre of the small village. Not seeing them in the immediate vicinity he took off in to the darkness to find them.

* * *

It didn't take long for him to spot them. Rounding the corner to the back of the building he came across Lindsay, her back pressed to the whitewashed wooden wall with Robbie looming over her, one hand braced against the wall above her head and the other clutching her arm. Robbie had his mouth forcefully pressed against hers in what seemed to be a very vigorous kiss, and Danny paused for just a moment, unsure as to whether his interruption would be welcomed.

The small sob from her tiny body and the subsequent tightening of his fingers around her arm answered that question for him and he began to run towards them at full pelt. As he approached, Lindsay seemed to manage to free her arm from his grip and forcefully shove Robbie away from her body. Danny skidded to a halt beside them and grabbed Robbie by the neck of his shirt wrenching him away from Lindsay and pushing him to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you are doing," Robbie spat at Danny from his prone position on the ground.

"She was trying to say no" Danny shot back. "She didn't want you to do that, you piece of crap. You told her father you would look after her. Didn't your mother ever teach you some respect?"

"What are you her brother or something".

"No I'm not, but I do care about her welfare and she's never going to see you again, so why don't you just crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out of in the first place, and don't ever go near her again! Do I make myself clear," Danny stopped yelling and his voice took on a dangerous, icy tone as he continued, "and if I ever see or even hear of you coming near her again, I will make it my personal business to make your existence so unpleasant, that you will wish I had killed you, here and now."

Robbie made it to his feet, but looking at Danny's blazing face and the look of pure loathing that Lindsay was throwing at him, decided to give up. He spat in the ground at their feet and took off again around the front of the building.

Danny turned back to Lindsay preparing to check she was okay, only to be met with a face so furious it was the incarnation of the phrase 'if looks could kill'. Lindsay turned on her heel and took off around the building into the darkness.

* * *

Danny managed to locate her quickly, she having stopped dead in front of the door to the hall where the dance took place. The door was closed, locked, and all the lights inside had been turned out. In the darkness of the late hour, Danny and Lindsay were the only people around. The Dance had obviously ended and everyone headed off whilst they were out the back arguing. He watched Lindsay sit so dejectedly on the front step that he thought it might be safe to approach her.

BOY was he wrong.

"Leave me alone Danny", she spat when he approached her. He could see the anger and frustration written vividly on her face.

"You're upset, I get that, but I was just trying to help!" He tried to keep his voice calm, to not let his feelings get the better of him, "I didn't think he was treating you right".

"I was handling it, Danny, and what right do you have to tell him that _I_ don't want to see him again?"

"Well it didn't look like you were handling it from where I was standing", he shot back, "I'm sorry if I upset the boy you like but I happen to think that you don't treat a woman like that".

"I don't like him", she shot back, "but I was dealing with it and I would have made him stop just like all the other times. Don't you understand how much worse you have just made this?" She was shouting now, he could hear the desperation in her voice.

"Obviously not, so why don't you enlighten me," he burst out.

There was silence then. All he could hear was her gasping for breath, her chest heaving trying to get her emotions under control.

"Look around you Danny", she said in a voice so small he was not sure he had heard it at first. "I don't fit in here, and everyone knows it. I feel so trapped and isolated in this community because I haven't settled down with some milksop farmer and had a gaggle of babies by now", she laughed tearfully, "did you know I was the only girl who graduated from my class in school because the others had all left to get married by then?"

She looked at him imploringly asking, "is it really that unreasonable that I might want something else from my life? Don't get me wrong, I want to have all that, but not right now, I want to see more than this county before I die. Anyway, the boys all thought I was weird at school, and now I'm just considered to be a snob. They think I consider myself above them and that I'm some sort of freak. You must have seen how all the men on the farm treat me?"

Danny nodded his head, remembering some of the hostility he had sensed directed towards her, now understanding their motivation. Lindsay refused to conform to what they thought a woman should do and so they ostracised her.

"I said I would go out with Robbie again, after Jem set it up. I thought it would help how the others saw me. I didn't think he would try to do that. He seemed to think that me going out with him meant I had accepted my life here as permanent."

Danny suddenly understood now. Robbie would spread stories about what he had done here tonight, that Lindsay was just a tease, or worse that she was easy and they had gone further than they had. He didn't regret what he had done but he realised that it might make matters for her worse.

She seemed to have run out of steam, staring blankly ahead.

"I'm sorry", he said softly. She smiled through the tears threatening to fall in her eyes.

"I was supposed to go home with Robbie", she said, not looking at him as he closed the distance between them, "Jem wouldn't know to wait for me."

"Yeah well," replied Danny with a laugh, "I was supposed to be getting a lift with him and he completely forgot about me". The absurdity of the situation seemed to strike Lindsay as well, and she forgot about her sadness momentarily to crack a smile and look at him. He joined her on the step, both of them staring out into the endless darkness.

"My brother had a lot to drink tonight, and how many of you were there crammed in that truck anyway? They must have just forgotten about you." Danny nodded in acceptance and ran his hand through his hair.

"Listen I was thinking", he said carefully, "how about you let me take you out sometime." When she didn't answer straight away he quickly added, "it can be an apology if you want, for making more trouble tonight."

She turned her head and smiled at him cutting off his ramble, a full-blown smile despite her watershed eyes and flushed cheeks.

"I'd really like that Danny, and it doesn't have to be a thank you".

"You really don't like Robbie?" The darkness steeled his resolve to approach the subject once again.

"Not at all", she answered him firmly. There was a pause and then she said in almost a whisper, "I like _you_ Danny".

Danny whipped his head around to look at her. She had turned to face him, a look of apprehension marring her features.

"I really like you too".

They sat there a little longer, both taking in the moment, realising how special it was.

Danny grinned into the darkness, taking a deep breath and finding his resolve.

"What do we do then, Montana girl? You ever been in this situation before?"

"Um, no", she deadpanned. "Don't worry, its only five miles and the moon is full. We should make it back in a few hours".

Danny watched her stand up; her profile was silhouetted by the moonlight and she slowly held out her arm for him to take.

"Are you with me", she asked with the oddest look on her face.

Danny paused for one moment before taking her hand and getting to his feet.

"Always."

* * *

Once again sorry about the wait, and please review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Apologies for the (endless) wait. I understand it's annoying and I will have lost readers, however I am still writing and appreciate any feedback given.**

Ch 10

By some miracle both Danny and Lindsay managed to make it to their respective beds later that night without causing any major upset. The other men in Danny's dormitory were mostly too far-gone to notice when he and Lindsay approached the large room from across the courtyard, and exchanged a few quiet words and a chaste, slightly blushing kiss at the door. He gingerly opened it and made sure it did not squeak to loudly or bang behind him. As he crept across the room he saw something in the corner of his eye and turned to see Frank awake and eyeing him with concern. He had obviously caught a glimpse of Lindsay at the door and as a close friend was concerned about her and Danny's activities. Danny shot him a contrite look, however he had a feeling he would be on the end of a stern lecture in the morning.

As Sunday was the next day, they were roused around seven for the weekly trudge to the church. Despite being the last to bed, Danny was definitely in a better condition than most of those around him having drunk very little the night before – in fact he awoke almost joyful as he remembered the night before.

As expected, Frank joined him on the walk down to the local church, and made no secret about what he wanted to discuss.

"She's a special girl" he said, there was no need to clarify who he was talking about. "I like you kid, and she needs someone like you who won't hold her back, but god help me if you hurt her…" he trailed off, the threat hanging heavy in the air.

"I know," Danny replied, keeping his eyes and voice low lest their conversation attract too much attention from the others around them, "I really like her, Frank. I'll treat her right."

"You better," was all he said, as he sped up to talk to the boss about the harvesting which would begin the next month.

* * *

Danny didn't see Lindsay as he exited the heat of the church, stretching his arms and scratching his neck. It was her week to help out with the Sunday School and would not be home until later, but he was itching to see her again.

He was ashamed to say that he had spent most of the service not in devotion, but in planning where he was going to take her out. Next Saturday, he decided, was the date. Maybe he would take her into town, but he wanted to do something special, open her eyes to things she had not done before. There was the cinema, but as the main source of entertainment for the county, everyone with a nickel went quite often and the range of pictures was sorely limited in this rural area. He thought about what he had done when he had taken other girls on dates back in New York, however looking back he didn't want to do anything with Lindsay that he had done with them. Nothing that he had ever felt for any of them compared with what he now felt for Lindsay and he didn't want to sully their date by reminding himself of other girls.

In the end he decided to keep it simple. A picnic.

* * *

Lindsay slammed the door to the truck and made her way inside the house. Sunday school had gone well and she was still on cloud nine after last night. As she made her way past the living room though she was halted out of her good mood by a call from inside. Making her way in she saw her mother and father deep in conversation. The mood was tense as they both looked at her with concerned eyes.

She stood there nervously between them waiting for someone to start until her father began,

"I saw Robbie after church today. He mentioned what happened last night". Mr Monroe gave her a look like he expected some reply.

Not knowing exactly how much of the story her father was privy to and trying not to incriminate herself she settled for a non-committal, "Oh."

"Yes," continued he father, "He mentioned that you were no longer seeing each other".

Lindsay nodded.

"Did he give you a life home?" asked her father, "I waited up but must have nodded off before you got back."

Not wanting to lie she answered, "No I actually came home with a friend, and we were a bit delayed after everything that happened with Robbie". Ok it wasn't technically a lie even though it did imply to her parents that she had received a lift rather than walked home alone with a man.

Whilst they were on the subject of her love life though she decided to divert attention away from last night to the future.

"Actually…Danny's asked me out, and I've said yes". She left it hanging there in the air.

"No. I don't think that's a good idea", Mrs Monroe spoke for the first time in the conversation, "I don't like him. He's not good for you". She spoke as if to end the matter but Lindsay was not giving up on the fight that easily.

"Mum, I know Danny isn't what you envisioned for me, but I still don't understand why you don't like him".

"Why don't I like him?" she yelled, "I know what his sort are like, I used to live in Portland before I met your father and I've seen how they move into a neighbourhood and elbow everyone else out. There are always thousands of kids, stealing, swearing, and fighting. Those families arriving on the railways from New York every week, of course they could afford to pay a higher rent than we could if they pack so many families into each house and only employ each other. They weren't even Americans, they come here because nobody else wants them, the Irish, the Mexicans, they're under the control of the Pope, they could never be patriots!" Mrs Monroe almost spat these words. She was red in the face by this point, seemingly years of repressed rage about her childhood pouring out. She paused to draw breath, and Lindsay cut in,

"That's not Danny though," she yelled just as loud.

"It might as well-"

"No Mom, it isn't the same-", she stopped herself. This tact was not going to work. "Mom," she said quietly, struggling to maintain the calmness in her voice, "I really like Danny. He's important to me. He is not one of the people you grew up with. Please, I'm asking you to give him a chance."

Mrs Monroe's eyes bulged but she bit her lip, holding back.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth, "You're old enough now to make your own mistakes."

Just for a moment Lindsay thought she had won, however her mother's next words made her heart leap to her mouth. It was like Anna Monroe's voice had broken and sadness and weariness had overtaken her whole countenance,

"I just want you to be safe, and taken care of, and to live a good life".

"I know," Lindsay acknowledged with a sigh.

"Just don't come running to me if he gets you pregnant and leaves you, sweetheart. Because I won't be able to help you then."

Lindsay turned to her mother,

"That's not going to happen", she tried to convince her mother, "and he just wants to spend some time with me, take me to the movies, talk to me".

"Hmmm, well, we'll see won't we", was the only reply she got.


	11. Chapter 11

Here we go, it's the first date….

* * *

Chapter 11

Danny spent the next week trying not to grin.

As it was still early summer, the whole farm lived in a state of limbo, waiting for the harvest and filling their time with odd jobs that needed doing before the backbreaking work began in the weeks to come. Lindsay was still quite busy in the dairy, but as the farm was largely agricultural most of the hard work was up to nature to do.

The time they did work was spent mainly in the upkeep of the farm, and most of the men were helping to repair the roof of the barn whilst the weather was dry. The heat was stifling though and baked the men's skin as they spent their day diligently hammering in nails to secure the roof boards.

Danny had told no one apart from Frank that he was taking Lindsay out the next week; he wasn't really that close to the other men he lived with and anyway, he didn't want to make things anymore difficult for her than she currently had them here.

But he hadn't been able to get a minute alone with her recently, and he had a feeling, based on some nasty looks thrown at him from Mrs Monroe, that Lindsay had told her parents about their date and they were not too pleased. Instead, after a stroke of inspiration on Tuesday night he stole into the barn in the evening with a note for her and tucked it in Ada's collar.

"Thanks girl", he whispered, giving her a quick rub down, "make sure she gets it ok".

The next morning Lindsay entered the stable as the sun was rising to take Ada out for a quick ride. Rounding the corner she noticed the piece of paper attacked to the harness and paused,

"What have you got there girl?" she asked, giving the horse's rump a quick pat. She gently freed the sheet, careful not to tear it and opened it up.

_Lindsay,_

_I haven't had a chance to speak to you on your own, so I figured this was the best way of talking to you in private and I know you are the only one who looks after Ada so I thought this would be safe. I wanted to tell you how pleased I am about you agreeing to go out with me. Is this Saturday ok? I need to go into town in the morning, but I was hoping to pick you up at mid-day and then to take you on a picnic._

_I hope I did not cause you too much trouble with your Ma, cause I am serious about this, about you I mean. I'm not sure if this is coming out right. What I mean to say is, I'm not going to mess you around, I'm in this, and I hope you are too._

_I gave Ada an extra special treat for looking after this note – I hope you don't mind. Leave me a note about Saturday._

_Yours truly,_

_Danny x_

Lindsay folded the note back up carefully and slipped it in her pocket, a wide grin on her face, and patted the horse's side.

"Thanks girl", she crooned, carefully stroking her neck. She mounted her swiftly and took off for her morning exercise. When she went in later for her breakfast she scribbled a quick reply to Danny and slipped it into Ada's collar on the way to sorting out the pigs.

Danny returned to the barn later that evening, as the men were milling about at the end of the day. He brought an apple for his favourite horse, and was ecstatic to see an answer to his note:

_Danny,_

_I'm in, can't wait for Saturday. My ma doesn't want me to be seeing you, but as much as I respect her and despite not knowing each other for very long, I feel that I know you better than I have anyone else before, and I know you won't hurt me the way she believes, right?_

_My parents are trying to keep me suspiciously busy and my brother seems to hang around me all the time at the moment, but I have informed them about Saturday and they have agreed to let me go out with you._

_I have never felt like this for someone before._

_Lindsay xx_

The grin Danny had been trying to stifle all week returned in full force.

* * *

"What is that", asked Lindsay curiously as Danny carefully laid out the food from the basket he had in front of him. She peered closer at the strange flat bread with tomatoes and then looked up at him for an answer.

"Today", he said, "We are having a picnic Italian style. I thought you might like to try something new". He looked at her hopefully and was glad to see she looked exited at the prospect. "This is called a pizza, and you eat it cut into slices. We also have bruschetta, prosciutto crudo, and caprese salad."

"Here, try some pizza", he said holding out the tray. The first bite she took was tentative but a look of wonderment appeared on her face and they were both soon tucking in with gusto.

"Danny this is amazing!" she exclaimed, "Where in the world did you get all of this in Montana? I've never seen any of this before. You didn't cook it all, did you?"

He laughed for a beat, "No, unfortunately, although I can cook. I had to bribe old Mrs Andreucci in town to make it for me. I think they are the only Italian family within a hundred miles of here."

"Hmm", she said laughing, "and what did you have to promise her to bring me this lovely picnic?"

He scratched behind his ear, a habit she had noticed he had when embarrassed, "I'm umm, I'm going to dance with her at the next church luncheon". He laughed a little and raised his head to look at her.

"I see I have competition", she said with a twinkle in her eye, suppressing a laugh.

After they had both eaten she laid down on the blanked and closed her eyes, sighing deeply. He took the chance to look at her. It was a scorching day, and so they had climbed a little way up the side of the mountain to a secluded clearing that was blooming with summer wildflowers. They were not a very long way up, but the extra height brought a little relief from the stifling heat and they were in no hurry to move. She was wearing a summer dress of buttercup yellow and had kicked off shoes as soon as they had arrived to reveal her perfect button toes. He loved that about her. All the girls in New York were obsessed with what they wore and how they looked and were so careful about getting messy; Lindsay ran around and mucked in with the work, she generally wore utilitarian dresses and yet he had never seen anyone so beautiful. Her body was curved and athletic rather than thin as she had a healthy appetite was accustomed to hard work, but it had a softness to it that made him want to touch her all the time.

"You're staring at me", she said smiling, never opening her eyes, "I can't be that interesting"

"You'd be surprised", he answered, suddenly with a dry throat.

"Lie down with me", she said, putting a hand on his arm. They ended up positioned at right angles to each other, her head resting on his chest. He laid his arm lightly over her stomach, the other one bent and supporting his head.

Lindsay took a breath and let out a deep contented sigh. The sun was warm on her face and in the gentle breeze of the higher ground she could detect the faintest hint of wild lavender that grew haphazardly in the field of wildflowers that they had settled in. She was glad that she had chosen this spot for their picnic: it was far enough away from the house and the plants were tall enough that they would not be seen from a distance.

She wondered about the man who she was now resting against, the man whose hand seemed to be burning the skin of her belly with his heat even through her dress. His thumb slowly stroked back and forward and her stomach muscles clenched involuntarily as she felt an unfamiliar pull low in her belly. It was a tight feeling, pleasant but somewhat disconcerting and making her feel warm, flushed and embarrassed. Realising that her thoughts were going down a direction she wasn't sure she was ready for, she spoke.

"So I know you can cook and you can dance…tell me something else", she said quietly as she broke the silence, "Your Ma seems to have raised you well".

He chuckled, a deep vibration in his belly, which seemed to be transmitted to her where they touched, "Um…I wanted to be a policeman when I was a kid, but then I started working for Mac and changed my mind. I was a bit of a tear-away if I'm honest, nothing too bad but I've had my share of clips round the ear for it." Lindsay smiled at the memory he shared. "What about you? I can't imagine you ever being in trouble".

"Ha", Lindsay laughed suddenly, "I got into a fair bit actually." Danny raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "No really. You've probably noticed I have bit of a mouth on me. Drove my teachers insane when I answered back. They would say I was sassy and wasn't acting like a lady…you can imagine how well that went down."

He laughed again and his hand moved further across her body to cup her waist, holding her body and pulling her fractionally closer to him.

"I think that's one of my favourite things about you Lindsay Monroe, you give as good as you get and I never know what's going to come out of your mouth."

"Yeah well you know I like to keep things interesting for you," she shot back.

She felt him move beneath her and he shuffled down the blanket until they were in a similar position as before, except this time he was hovering over her, his body leaning on one elbow.

He hesitated only a moment before he lent down and dropped the briefest, softest kiss against he lips. He pulled away slightly and kissed at the corner of her mouth, working his around until he had covered her lips in small kisses, tickling her face with the faint trace of his beard. He pulled away and looked down at what he had wrought: her eyes were still closed from the kiss, and her breath was coming hard making her chest rise and fall rapidly,

_I have never seen anything quite so beautiful_, Danny thought.

"Be my girl," he asked her softly.

She opened her eyes.

"After a kiss like that how could any girl refuse," she answered sassily.

"Can I kiss you again?" he asked. She reflected silently on the irony that he had never asked her permission to kiss her before they were together, but chose to now when her assent was pretty much guaranteed. She put this fleeting thought out of her head though and took hold of the front of his shirt and tugged him back down.

"You better".

* * *

It's hard to believe, but chances are Lindsay would really never have seen pizza before, as it was only just becoming popular on the east coast at this time. I hope this lived up to expectations, let me know if you liked/didn't like it, or have any other reviews or feedback. Thanks x


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The stifling weather continued on through July, with Danny and Lindsay taking full advantage of their free time to get to know each other before the hard work of the harvest began. There was no big announcement to everyone on the ranch that they were now a couple, but through the well trodden network of gossip which permeated a small community like theirs everyone knew soon enough that she was taken and he was smitten.

* * *

When Danny had dropped Lindsay back at the front door of the main house after their date, he was met by her parents who looked pleased to see the blissful smile on Lindsay's face and acknowledged Danny with a resigned look. He accepted the offer of a cup of coffee with Mr and Mrs Monroe whilst they all made small talk and when he mentioned the possibility of taking Lindsay to the Nickelodeon in town the following week they did not object. It seemed that the obvious happiness of their daughter was going some way towards thawing the air between the two parties, however, Danny suspected that their objections had been put aside for now rather than extinguished.

* * *

"It's not that what they want for me is _bad_," Lindsay explained the next day as they strolled down to the lake, "we just think differently", she shook her head, "anyway, lets talk about something else" she said looking around to where Danny had wandered over by the shore. She slipped off her sandals and sat down on the shore, revealing a little bit more thigh than was strictly proper. Danny glanced over and gulped; they had seized a free hour and decided to wander over to the lake for a bit of privacy, however Danny found that being alone was not really helping his current problem. Now that he knew how good holding her and kissing her felt he yearned for her constantly and he wasn't sure that him being alone with her was a good idea. He needed to get control of himself; for God's sake he wasn't a teenager anymore, he should be able to be around a girl without his trousers tightening uncomfortably.

_A girl you are in love with?_ His subconscious asked.

He decided to leave that aberrant thought to mull over later, and instead joined her on the ground, careful to conceal his problem.

"Will you teach me to ride?" he asked out of the blue.

"If you want," she replied pleased he was taking an interest in her horses, "How about I take you out tonight? What are you going to teach me in return though?"

"That sounds perfect" Danny answered with a grin, "and one day I will take you to New York City and teach you how to ride the subway".

They laughed deeply, lying back on the shore and feeling the heat of the sun on their faces,

"Not good enough, city boy, I want you to teach me something you love, something I will have to remember you by when I am old and grey."

"How about I teach you to hit a baseball", he offered.

"Ok", she said sitting up, "it's a deal", she held out her hand for him to shake. He took it but held on, pulling her down onto his chest where he was still lying down and capturing her there with his hands.

"I don't know about Montana, but in New York this is how we shake on a deal", he muttered before crashing his lips onto hers. It was a playful kiss, her hair tickled his face where it hung around them like a curtain and she giggled when his lips nibbled a trail from her lips to her ear. When he rolled them over so that she lay beneath him though, the kiss turned decidedly less playful. As tension built in both of their bodies he found himself grinding himself against her in order to find some friction.

"Danny, wait", she gasped, releasing him from his stupor, and bringing him back to his senses.

"Oh God," he gasped, pulling away, "Lindsay, I'm sorry, I pushed you too far, I'm sorry it won't happen again".

"No Danny," she cut him off, "its ok, it was my fault too, I just think we need to go a bit slower, its ok, I'm not mad."

"I just…want you is all", he explained.

"Trust me Danny, the feeling is mutual".

Over the next few weeks Danny and Lindsay became almost inseparable, going to the movies, the local cattle fair and on innumerable "walks" where they refined their kissing until they ached to go further. Lindsay also began to teach Danny to ride, which he was fast becoming competent at due to his natural athleticism and competitive nature. He could soon be trusted to manage the animal on his own over most of the terrain and would accompany her on her rides before breakfast when time allowed.

One Saturday morning they had ridden into town together to pick up groceries for Mrs Monroe when they ran into Robbie outside the butcher's shop. The few meetings they had had with him since the dance had been full of resentful looks however this time it almost ended in a fight when Robbie insinuated that he didn't want a girl like Lindsay who had been with half of the town anyway. This insult to her character only went un-avenged due to three burly men who happened to be there who broke up the confrontation. This was going to come to a head sooner or later.


	13. Chapter 13

I know this chapter is a bit of a cliff hanger, please let me know what you think and review at the end. I would love for my little story to get closer to 100 reviews and it will encourage updating faster (P. S. I have already nearly finished the next two chapters.

Chapter 13

It was the first week in August when the harvest finally got underway. After Fergus Monroe gave the nod, the threshing, gathering and binding of the grain began in earnest, with every man, woman and child working from dawn to after dusk to get the harvest in before the weather turned. During this time, there was barely a moment to think, let alone be alone with each other, and both Danny and Lindsay found that they missed the easy bond and comfort they had found with each other.

The times they did spend together were snatched moments of pure contentment: Danny would always try to sneak into the barn in the evening after dinner, before everyone collapsed for the night, and catch a few minutes in private with her. For a few joyful moments she would abandon her brush and they would kiss against the partition between the stalls. Or after a particularly gruelling day he would rub her shoulders and give her back massages to ease the tired muscles. Slowly, they learned to be comfortable with each other and each other's bodies, whether they were sitting and catching up with their days or quietly grooming Violet.

* * *

Finally, midway through September, the work began to ease. They were on the home straight having collected the bulk of the harvest, and Mr Monroe started making more trips into the town to sell his grain. For these trips he usually took his son Jem with him, leaving Frank in charge of the men working in the fields. As expected, some of the men took this opportunity to slacken off with their work, leaving the others to pick up the extra. Danny could not wait until he didn't have to work with Simon and Ian anymore.

The first free Sunday they had after the harvest Danny and Lindsay decided to test Danny's new equestrian skills by riding into town to watch a movie at the Nickelodeon.

They were just riding into town when Lindsay pulled up sharply, and Danny stopped a few paces ahead with an alarmed look on his face.

"What's wrong", he asked, looking her up and down, "you okay?"

"I'm not sure," she dismounted deftly and circled the horse slowly as she studied the beast, "something's wrong with Violet. I think she might've thrown a shoe."

Danny dismounted somewhat less gracefully than she had and led his older mare over to where she was stood.

"Yeah", she continued as she lifted Violet's leg, "lost her shoe. Its ok, we're nearly in town and if we leave her at the Smith's house they can re-shod her in the morning. We can make it back both on one horse tonight after the movie."

After stopping at the Blacksmith's house and arranging for the horse to be lodged there and collected in the morning, they headed to the movie theatre. Their choice of films was fairly limited as they only had a small theatre in Bozeman, however they cheerfully bought two tickets to ******************* and treated themselves to some treats. As they waited for the film to begin Lindsay regaled Danny with her personal colourful history with the theatre,

"…and then my friend Kara can running in screaming that there was a monkey in the bathroom and caused a riot of people trying to leave the theatre", she explained, almost doubled over laughing. Danny was laughing too, picturing the scene clearly as she explained one particularly funny event.

"Where is she now?" Danny asked, "Your friend Kara?"

"Oh", said Lindsay, her smile fading a little, "she left Montana when we were sixteen, to seek her fortune as a singer in California."

"Shhhh…its starting," she said, although Danny got the feeling that she was glad for an excuse to change the subject. He knew Lindsay didn't have that many friends and that this upset her a little.

* * *

After the picture had finished they saddled up Danny's horse again and both seated themselves on its back. Lindsay sat in front, with Danny behind her so that, due to her much shorter height, both of them could see ahead. He wrapped his arms around her, ostensibly to hold on and have his hands on the reigns as well, but in reality this allowed him to cradle her in his arms and brush his cheek against hers as they rode. It was an unexpectedly intimate embrace, their bodies moulded to each other as they swayed with the movements of the horse.

As they neared the edge of town though, they met Robbie coming the other way. The large buck slung over the back of his horse and the exaggerated sway of his body attested to the fact that he had been hunting and drinking, never a good combination. He did not realise who they were until he was quite close, and for a moment Lindsay thought he was going to let them pass without comment. However, almost as soon as this thought passed through her mind, events spiralled out of control. Things happened so fast she could barely keep up…

Danny and Robbie throwing each other dirty looks…

The muttered insult: 'whore'…

Danny throwing a punch…

Robbie recoiling, blood streaming from his nose…reaching for his gun…firing into the air…

And then all of a sudden she was flying through the air as the old horse reared, flinging both her and Danny up into the air…she vividly remembered hitting the ground with a thud, rolling away to avoid the old mare's flailing forelegs, and turning back over just in time to watch in horror as the horse's hoof landed square on Danny's chest, over his heart.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was the dead of night and Lindsay dozed in the rocking chair by the guest bed. The oil-lamp was turned down to its lowest, throwing minimal light onto Danny face as he slept. His breathing was shallow but at least it now appeared painless. The slight movement of his head woke Lindsay from her fitful vigil and she leant forward to check on him. She tested his temperature with the back of her hand on his forehead and was pleased to find he was no longer feverish as he had been when they brought him in earlier. Running her finger through his hair, gently so as to wake him, she reassured herself that he was still alright.

She had been out of her mind with worry earlier; after Danny had been trampled by the horse they had managed to get a passer-by to fetch the doctor from the town. With no hospital or clinic nearby the doctor had taken Danny back to the farm in his truck, where Mrs Monroe quickly organised the guest room for him to be put to bed. The doctor had spent an hour on his own with Danny, assessing the extent of his injuries and she was finally allowed back in with him after that. He had been so pale when she went in, small looking in a freshly pressed pair or pyjamas, drifting in and out of consciousness and groaning in pain. She held his hand for hours, reassuring herself that he was still there with her.

People popped in and out all evening but she stayed, and after stating firmly to her mother that she was not leaving him to go to bed she was left alone with him for the night. At one point she gently undid the buttons on his shirt, and revealed an angry red horseshoe shape in the centre of his chest over his sternum. But mostly, she sat, and thought: about him, about her, and about them together as a couple. About their future, whatever that might be.

It was just touching 3am when Danny awoke. He blinked in surprise at finding himself in the unfamiliar room, and then groaned as the pillow of pain bloomed from his chest. The shock of the pain took his breath away, and the deep breath he reflexively took in response exacerbated the problem. He struggled to control his breathing and did not realise that he had woken Lindsay in his effort.

"Hey", she whispered. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah", he replied, his wince as he spoke belying his words.

"No you're not, sorry that was a stupid question. Don't speak ok. I'm just glad you're finally awake". She took his hand again, entwining their fingers as she thought about what she was about to say. "I know this might not be the best time, but I've been doing a lot of thinking whilst you were asleep Danny. There are some things I want to say to you."

"I didn't realise until you were lying there and I almost lost you, how much you really mean to me. My life has changed so much since you strolled up to this farm. I've never been this happy before, and I've never been this uncertain and scared, so I'm just going to say it and get it all out. When I'm with you, I feel like I have an ally, you're the first person who's ever really listened to me and cares what I have to say. And I can't wait to spend time with you at the end of every day, and I love showing you around the countryside on Sundays, I love how you have never complained about how much pain you must be in, despite having not grown up doing this work, and I love your gentleness and kindness to Frank when the others shun him. And I trust you Danny; I never thought I would be able to trust anyone else in this community. I knew growing up here that certain things would be expected of me, and that I was not going to be able to fit into that mould, but when I'm with you I feel like I can be myself for the first time ever. I know I'm being a rambling woman right now," she laughed with tears in her eyes, she looked over at him lying in the bed and clutched his hand harder, "but, I think I love you… I'm in love with you Danny."

Danny's smile had been growing wider as she spoke, and he pulled her towards him and she gently lay down next to him, tucked into his side.

"Well I'm a man of few words," he joked whispering, as he kissed the top of her head, "I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for all the reviews.

Chapter 15

Danny recovered most of his strength quickly; however it took a long time for him to return to full working order. He was lucky that the accident had occurred after the harvest was in, as although he would have loathed firing him, Fergus Monroe could not afford to support a worker who was not pulling their weight. Since the markets crashed in '29 and the finances of all the businesses in the country were on rocky ground there was very little leeway for supporting extra people. As it was, now that the harvest was in there were less labour intensive jobs which needed doing, driving the produce to local shops, stations and markets, as well as feeding the animals. Danny was also put to use designing a new bridge which was needed over the river and ordering the materials they would need to build it. He was glad he had a project to get his teeth into whilst he recovered and had a chance to dust off the skills he had learned from Mac. It was something which Mr Monroe had been meaning to do for years and never gotten around to and this seemed the perfect opportunity.

Robbie had been arrested by the sheriff for being drunk and disorderly, and endangering another's life. He was subsequently shipped off by his father to work for one of his new companies out west. It was a major misdemeanour, and after a week in prison and paying a fine his father thought that he needed to get the boy away before he caused more serious trouble and away from the stiflingly close-knit community he grew up in. Lindsay had only seen him once from afar after that night, when she had been to town with Jem to pick up Violet. The gossip on the grape-vine said that he was leaving the next day, and she was glad that he would not be there to cause any more trouble for them. He had looked disgruntled as his Father had been loading his possessions onto the back of his truck, accompanied by an on-going tirade about how the boy had let the family's name down.

Since their mutual confessions of love Danny and Lindsay had only grown closer. They could frequently be found together after the day's work was done, sitting and talking or with him helping with her chores. On Sundays they rode out into the mountains surrounding the ranch and tied up the horses near the lake, where they swam in the water or read together on the shore. They were not without their problems; the constant watchful eye of her parents (his employers) was a constant source of tension, preventing the privacy they were both craving. They were both very aware that they were treading water with their lives, neither of them wanting to be in Montana for the long-term. However, conversely, they felt more settled in themselves, and used this enforced limbo they had been put in to solidify their relationship.

* * *

It was one afternoon in October when things began to change.

"You're going to ask her to marry you, aren't you", Jem asked as he gave Danny a sideways look. Lindsay was trotting her horse around the farmyard as Danny watched on looking captivated, leaning against the paddock fence. He let out a long sigh and turned to the taller man slowly, sized him up. He wondered if he was in for a fight.

"Hey I don't have a problem with", Jeremy continued defensively, holding up his hands, "There are just some things I think you should know first."

"Such as…"

"Well, for one, she will probably say 'No'."

"How do you figure that", Danny asked somewhat warily. He had never gotten the impression that Lindsay and Jeremy were particularly close but now he wondered if she had been discussing their relationship with her brother.

"That's what she always says", Jeremy replied looking Danny straight in the eye and then turning to gaze at his sister once again. Danny stared at his turned head, his jaw clenched slightly.

"She's been proposed to before?" He spluttered. Danny knew he loved Lindsay and that she was gorgeous, but she had never mentioned being that serious with someone else before he arrived.

Jeremy sighed and turned back to face a forlorn looking Danny.

"Look around you", he explained gently, trying to let him down easy, "we're a long way from any cities, hell even from any decent sized towns. And men outnumber women, what, five-to-one? Ten-to-one maybe even. Most girls either marry straight from school or move away to try their luck in the cities. And although she's my sister, I know she's pretty and even thought she has ruffled a lot of feather with some of her ideas, it's so rare for there to be single good-looking women in this part of the world that she's attracted a lot of attention."

"But she never married any of them". Danny argued, "maybe I have something she hasn't found in anyone else", he added vaguely.

"That may be true", Jem replied, "I don't know, she doesn't talk to me about this sort of thing. But this much is definitely true: she doesn't really want to be here, it's not much of a life for her as a farm hand, but she won't just up and leave with no good reason out of respect for our mother's feelings. She doesn't want to marry any of the local men though. I don't think she likes the idea of being tied down here forever. I know you are not from around here and one day you may move back to the city, but let's face it, your immediate future is here too."

Danny thought this through carefully. He wanted to marry Lindsay and build a life with her, but now he thought she might be reluctant to the idea. _What had she been doing with him then? Was it a game or did she really want to be with him? Sure, he wasn't one of the men from this community like the others who had asked for her hand, but for the time being he was stuck here as much as she was. And who knows how long it would be before he made it back to the city._

_I need to talk to her, _he thought; _I have to get this all out in the open even if it kills me_.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Danny managed to get Lindsay on her own a few times over the next couple of days; however the time never felt right to bring up a huge subject like their future with an off-hand comment whilst they were loading bags of meal into the truck or picking out the best of the tomatoes for canning over the winter. He realised that he spent a lot of the time obsessing about it though and wishing that he knew what was going on inside her head. They had told each other that they loved each other, which was a huge deal to him: there had been several girlfriends in the past, but he had never come close with them to what he felt for Lindsay. It was true what Jem said, he had been considering marriage with Lindsay and he knew that she was it for him. He didn't want to be apart from her anymore.

As the weather gradually became colder they planted the winter vegetables which would be ready in early spring to put on the table. The rhythm of the seasons was a surprise to Danny, coming from a large city where so much was imported from across the country and the globe. Here in Montana they ate largely what they could grow and buy from the local markets, and anything exotic was a novelty. The whole idea had been a revelation to Danny, who had been a little taken aback at Lindsay's enthusiasm when he had given her an orange a few weeks ago. Mr and Mrs Andreucci from town had gifted the fruit to Danny when he had gone over to help fix some shelves in their small house in town. Since arriving in Montana they had looked out for him, sympathising with being so far from their homeland and he had made a point of checking they were alright on his day off. When he had finished with his repairs, Mrs Andreucci had given him the pair of oranges on the proviso that he brings his 'bella amica' with him next time he came. He chuckled, remembering Lindsay's pleased reaction when he presented her with the treat and she readily agreed to go with him next time he visited.

* * *

By late October the temperature had started to plummet, and the population of the county began to dig in for the coming winter. Many of the migrant workers had moved on to other states looking for work, but without the prospect of being taken on elsewhere due to still being relatively unskilled (and admittedly, not wanting to leave Lindsay), Danny and a few other workers stayed on the ranch and helped out. Unfortunately that included Simon and Ian 'the idiots' who he still shared a dorm with. He had a sneaking suspicion that they knew no one else would give them any work and they were lucky to still be employed here. His correspondence with Mac had given no hope of returning soon as he wrote of just making ends meet in the economic climate.

There was still work to do: piecemeal jobs and daily upkeep activities which they all pitched in with. It seemed strange sitting around the vast kitchen table with only ten or so people and having to begin and end their work day in pitch darkness.

Mr and Mrs Monroe seemed to have accepted that they were 'courting' as they called it; however there was always a watchful eye on them when they would venture out to sit on the porch and read under a blanket in the evening. Over the weeks they had devoured many of the classics, often with a playful argument thrown in. Danny declared Dickens too 'melodramatic' much to Lindsay's chagrin, however he objected to her calling H G Wells 'fantastical'. They were happy though, and Danny would often wonder at the way he was entranced by her mind as well as her body. For the first time he wanted to talk to a woman endlessly, to know what she was thinking, her opinions on everything from the weather to the local elections to how she felt when her tickled her just beneath the line of her bra. She in turn was happy to supply the answers (fair to good, corrupt, and achingly good).

He continued to bide his time, waiting for the right opportunity to talk to her about the future, and it turned up at the most unexpected time…

* * *

November the first had been a miserable day all around, with the truck breaking down necessitating riding into town and picking up a spare part whilst everyone else attempted to fix the rust bucket. It had been spitting with rain all day, and when the heavens truly opened late in the afternoon Mr Monroe called it a day and had everyone troop inside to wait for dinner. They all retired to bed early knowing that they would have a busy day ahead of themselves tomorrow if they were going to get caught up with their work from today.

Danny woke with a start during the night, and could not think what had woken him until he heard a second deafening crack of thunder outside. A few of the other men stirred and then rolled over and went back to sleep when they realised it was just thunder. Danny rolled out of bed and relieved himself in the bathroom. Through the window above the toilet he could see forks of lightening illuminating the sky like cracks in the universe. The thunder was getting louder with each beat and Danny realised that this storm was not going to end any time soon.

However, with the next flash of lightening he caught a glimpse of something unexpected: a split-second silhouette of someone entering the barn. Danny recognised the figure, and wondered what on earth Lindsay was doing outside in this weather.

He quickly pulled on his clothes, careful not to wake anyone else and begin tongues wagging, and slipped out of the door. Once outside he pelted it across the barnyard and yanked open the door of the barn to get in out of the rain. He was met with a startled-looking Lindsay.

"Jesus Danny, you scared the life outta me", she gasped, putting her hand to her chest as she tried to slow her breathing down, "what are you doing in here?"

"What are you doing in here?" he countered with a grin.

She smiled back and turned to head towards the stalls at the end of the barn,

"I came to check on Violet", she said over her shoulder, "she tends to spook with the thunder, needs soothing or she may try to bolt and hurt herself."

Danny followed her down and jointed her in the stall grooming Violet and keeping her calm. After an hour or so the thunder died down and Violet settled in her stall to sleep. Danny and Lindsay retreated out into the main area of the barn.

"Still raining", she commented, peering out through a crack in the door. She sighed in resignation at the prospect of going back out to get wet.

"Wait", Danny said, swallowing loudly with nerves "don't go yet. Can we sit for a minute and talk?"

He realised this might be his only chance in weeks to get her alone for any length of time.

"Please. Sit with me."

She joined him on top of a heap of hay in the corner of the barn, looking inquisitively at him at his sudden nervousness.

"Are you okay Danny? Couse you're looking a little -"

"Please," he interrupted, "I wanted to talk to you about the future." He left that statement hanging there, unsure where to go with the conversation now that he had gotten up the nerve to begin it. After a pause she said in a quiet voice,

"Are you leaving?"

"What? NO", he spluttered, realising she had misunderstood, "I mean, I want to talk about _our_ future, together. I love you Lindsay, very much. Hopefully I will be able to go back to New York in the future and restart my training. But I'm not leaving you. In fact, I was hoping that when I go you would come with me." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I have no money, no good connections to speak of, hell I don't even have a ring, but I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours. Forever. So I guess I'm offering you myself, if you'll have me, and I'm asking you to marry me.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to overcome his urge to stare at his shoes. She listened carefully to everything he said, letting him say his piece.

"Danny, you're all I've _ever_ wanted. I love you too. Yes Danny, I'll marry you".


	17. Chapter 17

Hello, I've been looking through the countries of those reading this story and I am amazed! So many different people reading it from all over the world.

Hello to my American friends, I'm glad you like this story i'm writing about your country, and I hope there are no glaring 'across the pond' mistakes.

Someone is reading in Oman - I would LOVE to know what you think of my little piece of escapism.

Likewise people in Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Ukraine, Australia, Greece, Singapore, Taiwan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, Philippines, Ecuador, Spain, South Africa, Finland, Hong Kong, Portugal, Malaysia, France, Korea, Norway Italy, and of course everyone else in the UK!

I hope I haven't missed anyone out, let me know if you are reading anywhere else in the world.

Chapter 17

* * *

The preparations for the wedding consumed much of Lindsay's time for the next couple of weeks. They had decided not to wait to be married, as there was little prospect of their circumstances changing soon, and they did not want to wait around for something that may never happen. They told Lindsay's parents together and they were not exactly enthusiastic. However Mrs Monroe, having come across them a couple of times rumpled and flushed after having been kissing heavily out of sight, seemed to have decided that Lindsay was better off married than 'in trouble'. Danny also suspected that Lindsay had hinted that if they forbade her to marry him she would just do it anyway and that their co-operation was the lesser of two evils.

Lindsay honestly did not want to have to deal with all the details that went into planning a wedding day but she understood that it was expected of her to make it a big and lively affair. In all honesty, she wanted to focus more on making her marriage a success than agonising over the details of the wedding day. There was however one area where she did put in a lot of effort: Lindsay spent hours with her mother picking out the right design and material for her dress, and sewing it together with more care than she had ever taken over needlework before. She knew if there was one thing Danny would remember from the day it would be what she looked like. To that end she created a dress made out of ivory satin that clung to her torso and arms but flared out from her waist to the ground. It had a scooped neckline that was flattering but not too daring for the conservative community in which she lived. She had also decided to leave her hair down in its natural waves whilst simply pinning a few stray curls back at either side. She knew Danny had a thing about her hair and would appreciate having it free for him to run his fingers through.

Her parents had also provided different accommodation for them to use once they were married. Lindsay would move out of her childhood room and into the larger one in the joined extension to the house, only accessible through the downstairs rooms. They would have more privacy but were still resident in the home. The Monroes were still very wary of this marriage between the Catholic city boy and their only daughter. They had expected her to have a certain type of husband and a certain type of marriage and were hesitant about the changes this union would bring. Mrs Monroe especially was finding it hard to reconcile herself with her daughter's decisions.

* * *

It was the day before the wedding and Lindsay was in the barn escaping from the chaos that seemed to have settled over the main house. She was seated comfortably on a hay bail in the corner, her legs propped up in front of her so that she could rest a thick book on them whilst still catching enough light from the stream coming in through the door to read it. This was her favourite spot. Nobody could see her here even from the barn door, you had to walk all the way in to catch sight of her and she had spent many an hour of her childhood hiding from her mother in this place. Through the thin cracks in the beams Lindsay could see out into the yard which was why at this moment her book had been forgotten in favour of her blatant staring at her fiancé. Or more precisely his backside.

He was headed across the yard and would soon have been out of her vision but he was called to a stop by a shout from Simon and turned to see Simon and Ian jogging towards him.

"What's up?" inquired Danny, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Nothing's wrong", Ian assured him "we just wanted to make sure you were going to be free this evening".

"Uh yeah as far as I know" he replied warily.

"Good", Simon grinned slightly leeringly, "'cause we have taken it upon ourselves to organise a little get together in the men's hut tonight" he saw Danny look reluctant, "come on" he whined, "its tradition. Your last night of freedom".

Danny sighed. He did not want to go to a stupid party and get drunk, especially not the night before he was getting married, when something could go wrong and screw it up. Plus these two were idiots and he had tried to spend as little time as possible with them over the months he had been there. He supposed he should though. The air was tense on the Ranch at the moment and it might be a good idea to let off a little steam.

"Okay", he agreed reluctantly, "but nothing too raucous alright, I don't want to look like a drunk for Lindsay tomorrow."

"Good" Simon assured him, "because after tomorrow you are going to be a married man with all the being tied down that that entails."

"I don't know" Ian chipped in, "I wouldn't mind being married to Lindsay if it meant I got to climb on that. Robbie said she had the sweetest little pussy he had ever been in."

"Nah" countered Simon, "she's too wild if you ask me. I wouldn't want a wife who had been with half of the town. She needs to be broken and shown who is boss. A piece of advice Danny, my Pa always told me you treat a woman like a horse, they will only learn obedience through the end of a whip".

Danny stood there throughout this speech stunned into silence. He was ready to pound these guys into the ground for saying those things about the woman he loved. Luckily for them Fergus Monroe approached as Simon finished speaking and ushered he and Ian back off into the field. Danny was incensed. To think Lindsay worked alongside these men and still they thought so little of her, it made him finally realise why she was so desperate to get out of this place. He ran a hand through his hair and scrubbed at his face, silently promising himself that he would never act like those men towards his wife. Realising he also needed to get back to work, he stalked away in the same direction as they had gone a few minutes before, pausing only to slam his fist into the open door of the shed, and relieving some of the anger and frustration he felt.

Lindsay watched and listened to all of this silently through the slats from her corner in the barn, with tears running down her cheeks. How could Robbie have spread those rumours about her? Danny had been so mad, what if he believed them and that when he hit that door he was imagining her in its place. No. Danny would never do that to her. He would never try to break her as they suggested. But that haunted look in his angry eyes was something she would not forget easily.

* * *

It was dinnertime before Lindsay even got a chance to speak to Danny. He had been quiet when he returned from work and whilst everyone else was sitting with a cool drink before they ate she offered to put some ice on his hand. It was still red and swollen from where he had punched the wooden door earlier. When she offered the ice he had stared at his hand in a vague way as if not remembering when it had gotten hurt and then wordlessly nodded and followed her into the Kitchen.

"I love you", he said making her look up from where she was examining his hand. She smiled back at him nervously and tried to gauge if he was mad at her. "Are you alright?" he asked suddenly picking up on her apprehensive look.

"Yeah", she answered, although he did not look convinced at her reply, "just nervous about tomorrow I guess".

"You shouldn't be nervous about this", was all he said in reply. She didn't know quite what to make of the statement but he had disappeared out into the other room for dinner before she had begun to process what he had said.

That evening she lay in bed alone for the last time. '_What will I be doing tomorrow night',_ she wondered as she listened to the faint sounds of Danny's bachelor party happening in the men's hut on the grounds below. Uncertainty crept over her as she thought about what she had heard today. '_No this is silly' _she thought_. 'I love Danny, he would never hurt me'_. She lay in bed and prayed to God it was true.

* * *

Sorry I stopped there, next chapter is written though so lots of reviews will make it be edited faster!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Luckily Simon and Ian did not cause too many problems that evening, mostly due to the presence of Jem at the event. Although there were a lot of bawdy comments, the two were not stupid enough to repeat their filthy rumours about Lindsay in front of her brother. Danny was sure that their comeuppance was coming sooner or later, but he would not do anything stupid today to jeopardise his wedding tomorrow. After they passed out, the party broke up and they all prepared for bed. Whilst taking the beer bottles outside, Jem pulled Danny aside. For a moment he thought he was going to get the 'big brother will come beat you up if you hurt her' speech, but he just smiled at Danny, "you're good for each other", he said, "I think you might be the only person who could make her happy."

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear, a good omen after such a cold and windy November week. Mrs Monroe strode into her daughter's room as the clock downstairs struck seven and placed herself on the side of her bed. They had hours until the wedding which was not scheduled until 4pm, however they had much to do that morning and she needed to speak to her daughter before the chaos of the morning began.

"Lindsay", she said as she gently shook her daughter awake. Lindsay rolled over and shifted herself up in the bed to face her mother. "I want to talk to you before you get married," she continued. "Now I know you young girls today all think you know everything, but there are some things you should be aware of." Lindsay swallowed and blushed, looking away from her mother. She hadn't missed the slight dig at her generation, but having grown up on a farm she knew the mechanics of what was expected in the marriage bed. The problem was that no-one had ever been explicit or detailed in explaining exactly what to do and how the process worked. Her mother had a successful marriage though, so she was prepared to listen.

"What you need to remember, is that as your husband, Daniel (she said with a rather sour look on her face), will want certain things from you once you are married, and it is your duty to see to his needs and make sure he consummates the marriage. It may not be particularly pleasant for you but it is God's will that you submit to your husband's wishes and you must keep him happy so that he will not stray and cause gossip. Once you have children he may have fewer reasons to abandon you-"

"Mother, Danny won't aband-" cut in Lindsay,

"I know you think that now, Lindsay", her mother interrupted again, "but nothing is certain especially in this day and age." She stood up to leave the room, sighing. "I just don't want you to regret your decisions", she said as she walked out of the room.

Lindsay lay there utterly flabbergasted. Her mother's backhand comments and lack of sympathy astonished her. She gotten no useful information, and instead a lecture on pleasing her husband so as not to cause a scandal!

_Oh well, _she thought_, I'm awake now so I might as well get up and help with the preparations._

* * *

Stella and Mac had arrived on the farm late the evening before to see their niece get married to his protégé. They could only two nights as Mac needed to get back to New York and the business as soon as possible, but Lindsay so was so pleased to see he favourite uncle and aunt and she hoped there would be an opportunity to catch up after the wedding at the reception. That morning they were still abed long after the family were up, recovering from their long journey to Montana.

Lindsay lingered in the yard later that morning, pacing the porch and putting off going inside to help with the wedding dinner and spending more time with her mother. The more she thought about their conversation the more furious she became, her mother had no faith in her, or Danny or their ability to know what was right for them.

She heard the door open behind her and saw Stella approach her slowly across the porch, with a smile growing across her face.

"You look a little stressed" Stella observed as she looked at Lindsay with a critical eye. Lindsay swallowed and forced a smile on her face. She had really come to love her new aunt over the course of her previous visits and didn't want her to be concerned for her.

"Come on", she said, linking arms with the younger girl, "we are going to pick some flowers for the table".

"I can't", sighed Lindsay regretfully, "I'm supposed to be helping my Ma inside".

"No you aren't", she replied whilst gently leading her out into the fields to search for wildflowers, "I told her I was taking you out with me as a guide so I wouldn't get lost, I thought you might need a sympathetic ear to talk to."

They meandered along the path that led up into the meadow overlooking the farm. Stella didn't say anything; just let Lindsay walk quietly and sensing she needed some quiet time to think. As they stopped and began stooping to pick flowers Stella decided that she should offer the younger girl an opportunity to talk and began:

"You mum told me she had a word with you this morning about what was expected tonight," Lindsay nodded but said nothing so she continued, "I know we haven't know each other for very long, but I want you to know that you can talk to me or ask me anything and I won't laugh or think you're silly, and I won't tell anyone either. I wish I had had someone to answer my questions before I married and I wanted to give you that opportunity".

There, Stella thought, she had said her piece and given Lindsay an opening to talk if needed. Now it was up to her.

Lindsay stood and considered Stella's words whilst gently biting her lower lip in thought. Despite her embarrassment, she really could use someone to talk to, and her mother's lecture earlier had done nothing more than worry her, not addressing any of her concerns.

"I guess", started Lindsay hesitantly, "I could use a friend right now. And I do have some questions", she said this hesitantly, glancing at Stella, who smiled sympathetically and nodded. "The thing is, I don't really know what's going to happen so I don't really know what to ask", Lindsay said suddenly lost for words. She moved to a close outcropping of grey rocks and sat down heavily with a sigh. "I wish I wasn't so nervous and I don't really know what to do when we have to …." she trailed off, not really sure how to phrase the query.

"Make Love?" supplied Stella.

Lindsay nodded, the ever-close-by blush returning in full force.

"How about this," supplied Stella, "Why don't I talk and you interrupt if you want any clarification." Seeing Lindsay's relieved face and nodding head Stella sat dawn as well and began:

"Mac and I hadn't known each other for very long when we got married, it was a whirlwind romance and we didn't want to wait to be joined. Coming from a small Greek town where keeping a girl's virtue is vital to marrying well meant that I had been raised to think that anything sexual was dirty and not to be talked about and so I had very little idea of what I was doing. But I love Mac and I trusted him to know what to do. He was very gentle to me and we just talked for hours to begin with on our wedding night. I told him about my fears and how unsure I really was. When we began kissing and touching each other he said it was alright to make each other feel good, because we were married now and that pleasure in marriage was created as a gift from God."

"And did you", Lindsay asked uncertainly, "I mean, my mother said that it might be unpleasant to lie with my husband. Did it hurt?"

"A little", answered Stella honestly, "it was more uncomfortable than anything, and the pain at the beginning was like a sharp twinge that went away quickly. I bled a little, only at first though and it went away quickly. By the time we were both naked Mac had made sure that my body was prepared to take his penis into me, that I was wet enough down _there_ that it wouldn't hurt so much". Lindsay blushed as she listened, embarrassed by Stella forthrightness but desperate to be better informed about what was to come.

"I've learned that it is important to talk to your partner", carried on Stella, "Danny is a good guy and will want you to find pleasure in making love. Tell him what pleases you and what you like and ask him – it will bring you closer as a couple. Also don't forget to laugh!" she said with a giggle, "Don't worry about getting it perfect the first time, you will probably both fumble a bit and accidentally knee each other, but as long as you relax and don't take it too seriously you will eventually get into the rhythm and both enjoy it immensely."

Lindsay smiled at this, and seemed to perk up under Stella's kind words.

"Also, one last thing," said Stella, "now I know your mother is hoping for some grandchildren at some point, but if you want to avoid it, just remember that usually a baby is created two week after the beginning day of your period. So you may want to avoid lying with your husband around then if you want to delay that for a while."

Stella supplied this last piece of advice with a quick wink and a smile before helping Lindsay up from the rock and collecting their baskets. They headed back to the farm to get ready for the upcoming ceremony both feeling better now that they had talked.

* * *

Little did they know that in a truck a few miles away a similar conversation was happening between Mac and Danny. They were on their way to pick up one of Mrs Monroe's sisters who was arriving my train for the wedding that afternoon, and Mac had engineered this opportunity to get Danny alone and have a quick work – man to man.

When Mac had started talking to Danny about marriage and women the younger man had winced, a move that Mac's sharp eyes did not miss and he quickly pulled him up on it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning, "look I know this is a bit awkward but there are some things which I think you should know and if you are not serious about this step or Lindsay then you need to say now". Mac's voice was stern, reminding Danny that however much Mac acted _like_ a father to him, he was_ actually_ Lindsay's uncle.

"NO, no, no, Mac", hurried Danny, seeing Mac had mistaken his discomfort and feelings of guilt for disinterest and exasperation, "I'm totally willing to listen to anything you have to say, I'm just…."

Danny put his head in his hands and began talking, "I'm scared I'm not going to be a good husband to her, not going to be able to provide for her. She's so pure, so perfect Mac", this he said in a near whisper, "I might hurt her, and then she may hate me. I could never forgive myself if she was in pain because of me, and I can't ever forgive myself for being with other women before I met her".

"Have you told _her _any of this Danny?"

"No", he replied.

"You two need to talk, really talk to each other and keep communicating throughout your wedding night and your marriage, especially at the beginning, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks Mac."

* * *

Hope you liked my Mac and Stella cameos.

NB: I did a bit of research into this, and birth control was only legal in the US after 1938, and even then only to married women and it was highly regulated. This morsel of information from Stella would probably have been more than most new brides knew on their wedding night!


	19. Chapter 19

I know its short, but enjoy!

Chapter 19

Danny arrived at the small church in Bozeman at 3.30 that afternoon, determined to be too early rather than too late to his wedding. Mac was with him, standing as Best Man and one of the witnesses. The church itself was an impressive structure for such a small town and spoke to the religious zeal of the local population. Danny was nervous, not about marrying Lindsay, but fluffing up the ceremony or offending someone for not technically being a Baptist. They had glossed over this detail whilst meeting with the preacher earlier in the week, merely confirming they were both baptised and confirmed. As far as Danny and Lindsay were concerned anything more was their business alone.

The church filled quickly and at 3.55 the wedding march began signalling that the bride was about to approach. Danny suppressed a smile; trust Lindsay, the overachiever, to be punctual on her own wedding day. All these thoughts flew from his head though when the doors opened and he saw her standing there on her father's arm in a pure white dress, and illuminated by the sun behind her making her look like the angel he knew she was. In front of her was Frank's daughter Rosie, who preceded her down the aisle dropping handfuls of rose petals. Then Lindsay and her father began to approach him.

Everything around him was a blur; the only thing he could focus on was Lindsay as she approached. She looked straight at him, a small smile on her face befitting the solemnness and seriousness of this occasion, but the twinkle in her eye telling him what they both already knew: that this was a formality, they had belonged solely to each other for months now.

And then she was before him, and her father sighed before placing her hand into his. There might have been some talking, he thought, but his focus was on the woman in front of him. He repeated the words as the vicar directed him to and took great satisfaction in declaring that he would love, cherish and worship her for the rest of his life. She in turn promised to honour and obey, however the slight raised eyebrow whilst declaring that prompted a barely supressed chuckle from Danny. When had she ever been good at taking orders!

_She's finally mine_, Danny thought with satisfaction as he slid the gold wedding ring onto its new home around her finger. He himself had a matching one, and although it felt strange to have this new weight on his finger, it also felt so _right_. And now nobody could break them up, they belonged to each other and had every right to go and do what they pleased. Lindsay no longer lived under the charge of her father, and although many men, and the law, would now consider her to belong to him, he knew that they were now a team.

Together.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The reception was just beginning to wind down as Danny and Lindsay retreated to their new bedroom where their clothing and possessions now lived. Lindsay's mother had cornered her only moments before to remind her of their discussion from earlier and then announced to the whole room that she looked tired and had better go to bed. This had sparked a series of catcalls and shouts which had turned both of the newly-weds bright red with embarrassment, and made Lindsay throw her mother a stony-eyed look before turning away.

After both making use of the bathroom down the hallway, Lindsay silently sat on the bed whilst Danny made sure the bolt was firmly drawn across the door. He knew what drunk young men tried to do on other peoples' wedding nights and he would be damned if he did not try and prevent this being harder for Lindsay than it had to be.

He went and joined her on the bed. Now they were finally alone, but she had not yet said anything or even raised her head to look at him and he was distinctly worried. He had sensed her unease all day and had chalked it up to normal nerves, but now when it was just the two of them he was realising it was more than that.

She shifted slightly on the bed and then turned and before he knew it she was kissing him, plundering his mouth in the way he had taught her to that day of the picnic. It was passionate and turning him on completely, but he also noticed her body was shaking.

"Wait. Stop", he said, gently holding her shoulders and pushing her back, "wait I was hoping we could talk first".

"Talk?" she said confused.

"Yeah. I just. I know we haven't had much time to ourselves recently and I was hoping we could spend a bit of time catching up",_ and calming you down, _he thought.

She nodded and smiled weakly up at him, looking slightly more relaxed. He decided to begin again.

"You looked beautiful today," he said, "I am going to remember what you looked like walking down that aisle for the rest of my life". He paused before adding, "and you look even more beautiful here tonight, with just us."

"Yeah well, you don't scrub up too badly yourself", she smirked. Suddenly the tension broke and they both genuinely smiled at each other releasing shaky breaths.

"I'm sorry I was so spaced out yesterday evening by the way", Danny continued; "I think yesterday I only really began to understand some things and it really threw me". Lindsay stiffened suddenly and looked up at him. He did not seem mad anymore but she felt she should try and explain about what he had heard.

"I know Danny. I heard you talking to the boys outside the barn yesterday and I swear it's not true. You have to believe me", she almost begged him with her voice, "nothing happened with Robbie, he tried but I didn't let him".

He turned to her puzzled at what she was saying and then remembered the off-the-cuff comment Ian had made the day before. He almost laughed with relief,

"Oh, no baby, no no no, I _never_ believed him. Don't worry I never considered for a _moment_ that what he said was true. I always knew you're a virgin, and I am so _honoured_ that you want to marry me and share that with me. I'm ashamed of the fact that I'm not, that should be yours for me to give to you too." He leaned over and kissed her gently on the mouth. He could almost feel the relief in her body.

"What did you mean then?" she asked recalling the rest of the overheard conversation.

"I think I finally realised what growing up here must have been like for you. An endless succession of labourers passing through and although you worked alongside them and pulled your own weight it was never enough to them and they never respected your work the way they should have."

"I am so glad that you were not already married off to one of the local boys before I got here, I may have had to steal you away. If what I heard yesterday is the way the men here regard women then I would never want you to be near them. I promise never to hurt you the way they said", he pulled Lindsay onto his lap and spoke in a low voice, his eyes imploring her to believe him, "My parents had problems in their marriage but Mac has always shown me how important a marriage of equals is, and that's what I want with you."

The relief was palpably written on Lindsay's face at what he said. She turned her face to his and brushed the softest of kisses across his lips.

"Thank you, Danny. That's what I want too". She paused, a teasing look across her face, "so you always knew I was a virgin huh?"

"Honey, my experience with women may be limited but I do have a little," he explained bringing one hand to cup her cheek and brushing a light kiss across her lips he whispered, "Your reactions tell me everything."

"Like the way you gasp when I do this" he kissed her neck, "and sigh when I touch you here", he said as he ran his palm down her back to cup her waist.

"And the way you tremble when I do this". He got them to their feet and then slowly, painstakingly began to unbutton her dress whilst stroking the soft skin of her back as it was exposed.

She shivered again, but let the dress drop as it was released from her body. She stepped out of it and he lifted it gently and draped it over the arm of the chair in the corner.

She remained in the centre of the room, and he realised how exposed she must feel in her bra and panties whilst he was fully dressed. Wrapping her up in his arms again, he gently dropped kisses on her neck and shoulders, and she tentatively reached up her hands and began to undo his tie, slowly drawing one end around his neck and then dropping the article on the floor. He divested himself of his shirt, and trousers until they were both left in just their underclothes. They didn't rush as they knew they had all night to complete this act, and so they both diligently began to explore each other's bodies whilst continuing to undress. Lindsay found a spot on Danny's hip that made him gasp whereas he discovered that she had particularly ticklish knees. They fumbled and stumbled their way slowly out of all their clothing, content for the moment to caress and learn their way around each other.

When they did finally complete the act it was cautious and sweet. Lindsay winced a little as he filled her but they kissed and he paused and stroked her skin until she was ready for more. Years later she would remember vividly how he had buried his hands in her hair as he moved inside her; how he supported her back as he ground into her sweet spot, dragging her over a new precipice with him. Yes they had been a little awkward and bashful but as far as she was concerned, the first hurdle of marriage was successfully cleared.

Lindsay was not sure exactly what awoke her the next morning. Despite the joy that she and Danny had found in each other's arms the previous night, she had not slept well. Perhaps it was that she was not used to sharing a bed with another person – _a man _ – or that Danny's body resembled a furnace during the night. She wasn't used to feeling anybody else whilst sleeping: their movement during the night or their sighs whilst they dreamt. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was barely five, and smiled at the thought that as it was a Sunday they had hours before they had to think about getting up.


End file.
